


Transparent

by TheHuntress25



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Multi, Other, Sexual Content, Sexual Humor, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-11 12:38:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 47,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7051834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHuntress25/pseuds/TheHuntress25
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dominique Weasley is invisible. With her famous sister and family constantly in the spotlight, she has grown far more comfortable being alone and unnoticed but her private world is interrupted when Victoire suddenly needs her help. Suddenly caught up in lies, secrets and desires, Dominique catches the eye of one Teddy Lupin, a boy that would do anything to destroy her sister.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Favor

“I need you to do something for me.” The commanding tone of voice was said in a tense whisper that caused Dominique Weasley to pry her eyes away from the mystery novel that she had been reading, a scowl forming on her lips. When she raised her head up to see who had dared to disturb her, she was beyond irritated to be staring into her older sister's sour face, “now Dom!”

 

Victoire Weasley was a terror. Dominique wasn't quite sure when the thought or realization had struck her but it might have been on the numerous times as a child when her older sister had either bullied, harassed or manipulated her, “W-what do y-you want Toire?” she demanded in her low, if not broken stutter.

 

There was a very exasperated look on her sister's beautiful face and Dominique frowned all the more, wondering what she needed this time. “I need you to do something for me, okay?” Victoire said, flipping a lock of her long red hair over her shoulder after wincing at the bright afternoon sun, “and you can't tell anybody either or I'll die.”

 

 _We can only hope_ , Dominique thought sourly. “W-what is it?” she found herself asking, somehow curious to know what sort of stupid predicament her sister had gotten herself into this time. If it had something to do with sneaking out to meet with her friends again, she had come to the wrong person this time, “go a-ask Mum or Papa,”

 

Their parents tended to spoil Victoire far more than they did she and their younger brother Louis and Dominique had never deluded herself into thinking that they even knew she existed. Not when perfect, lovable, amazing Victoire was around, “Are you kidding me? I can't ask them for this!” Victoire practically wailed and she frowned at her melodrama.

 

“Then why are y-you asking me?” Dominique wanted to know, narrowing her blue eyes on her sister suspiciously. Victoire always came to her with little “favors” that she was either too lazy to do herself or when she was up to something extremely bad, “w-what have you done now?”

 

Victoire's lovely face scrunched into a grumpy looking mess of lips and eyebrows and Dominique rolled her eyes and went back to her book. “Don't get smart with me, Dom, okay? I am so sick of you and your little attitude all the time.” She snapped furiously, watching as she turned a page slowly in her book.

 

“Everyone a-always says t-that and never asks why,” Dominique said in reply, feeling just the slightest sting. No one ever paid any attention to her in their home, not when perfect, amazing and wonderful Victoire was around and she had stopped pretending that she actually had a voice around her parents, knowing that they didn't care.

 

Victoire rolled her eyes heavenward, as if she had somewhere she really needed to be. On any other day her sister would be gone on dates or at the ballet studio but to Dominique's horror she had gotten a rare day off from her busy social life and had been hissing and spitting the entire morning, “It's no one's fault that you stutter you know,”

 

 

Dominique glared up at her, knowing that it was in fact, someone's fault. But she didn't feel like talking about that horrible person or bringing up what had happened with the pigs, “I'm l-looking at you aren't I?” she murmured angrily, turning another page in her book.

 

The words were a bit blurred due to her mounting irritation and she knew that she wouldn't be able to have a moment's peace as long as Victoire invaded her space. It was one thing to have her in the house but she took these moments alone as priceless, “Do me this favor, all right?” Victoire pleaded, suddenly bending down in front of Dominique where she sat, her back against a handmade gravestone.

 

There wasn't very much to do over the summer at Shell Cottage when there was no company and Dominique didn't have any friends aside from her cousin Lucy Weasley. But her friend and family were out at some early Ministry brunch and wouldn't be back for a while, which had left her to her own devices. Louis was most likely locked up in his room and probably hadn't felt like being bothered so she hadn't gone to ask him to come out to play with her for a while, opting instead to take a book and visit Dobby.

 

A discarded, old straw hat and the remains of her lunch were near her side, baking in the hot afternoon sun. Dominique often came to the beach to read, though she didn't think that anyone would find the thought of reading a novel near a gravestone to be as pleasant as she always had, “This is the only time that I'm going to ask such a huge favor out of you! I'm in a bit of a bind,” Victoire now said pleadingly.

 

Dominique reeled away from her close proximity, upper lip curling. Victoire was batting her long black lashes at her, cheeks flushed and that damn mole at the side of her mouth making her look all the more beautiful, “W-why can't you ask one of your fr-friends?” she asked warily.

 

Victoire had a lot of “friends”. It had been impossible not to notice at Hogwarts how people tended to flock to her, though Dominique had always found the groups she tended to hang round with to be bad for anyone's sense and health, “I can't, okay? They're all busy and visiting relatives. You have me on my knees in the sand for Merlin's sake, Dom!”her older sister whined, glancing down at the dirt now sprinkled over her yellow summer dress.

 

“You'll l-live,” Dominique said dryly.

 

Victoire swallowed hard, looking as if her very life were ending then and there. “Not if Mum and Papa find out about this.” She said as she suddenly snatched Dominique's straw hat and placed it on top of her own hair, fearing the threat of freckles to her pale skin. “You have to help me!”

 

Dominique felt her stomach knot and twist painfully, though she took that as a normal occurrence when her sister was too close. Victoire was straightening her hat, lower lip trembling and her hand going anxiously to her lower abdomen—oh, no, this couldn't _possibly_ be happening, “W-what have y-you done?”she demanded in a panic.

 

Victoire gnawed on her lower lip thoughtfully before glancing around the expanse of the beach for any intruders. There was nothing but the cawing of seagulls and the crash of the ocean waves on the shore and even though Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey lived only a short mile or two away, it was very rare for them o visit without sending an owl, “I think I might be pregnant.” Her sister said to her earnestly, blue eyes the size of Hagrid's fist.

 

Dominique's jaw dropped. “How?!” she demanded.

 

“What do you mean _how_?” Victoire shot back annoyingly and Dominique's cheeks flamed furiously at the impish smile that touched her sister's lips. “I was messing around with some bloke, okay? But you wouldn't know about that when you've never had a boyfriend!”

 

It was a low blow. Dominique tried not to let that fact bother her but she knew that girls her age had had at least one boyfriend while girls like her sister had two or three, “D-didn't you use protection or s-something?” she asked in a whisper, infuriated.

 

If their parents found about what Victoire really got into doing, it would ruin whatever stability they had and she didn't think she could deal with it. Not only was it embarrassing to know that her sister snuck out and played around as much as she did but Louis would have to deal with it as well at Hogwarts....people would start to notice her, “Sometimes you get so into it that you don't bother. I know all the spells and potions but—oh, why am I bothering to explain to you?” Victoire said in furious exasperation.

 

“Y-you're sixteen Toire!” Dominique burst out, stunned by how careless her sister was. But she had seen her sister's sheer disregard for other people's feelings on more than one occasion but hadn't counted on her being this stupid, “you weren't th-thinking about anyone but y-yourself! What about Mum and P-Papa? What about Louis?!”

 

Victoire's face paled drastically at the accusations and she dabbed at the corners of her eyes quickly before clenching her fists tightly in her lap. “Don't you think I've been wondering about that?” she snapped angrily, looking as if she wanted to smack her, “this is my life we're sitting here arguing about!”

 

Dominique's teeth gnashed together. “Y-you weren't th-thinking about that w-when you were fooling around!” she cried, beyond angry. What did she think that they could do about this? It was simply the most outrageous thing that her sister had done, not even all of her other episodes and mistakes could compare to this, “w-who's the father?”

 

Victoire frowned at her furiously, still smarting from her words but turned up her nose at her in a very prissy way. Dominique found it more than surprising that she could even hold onto that queenly air in the predicament that she was in and that someone could deal with her on the Gryffindor Quidditch team at school, “I don't really know who it is.”

 

“What do y-you mean you don't _know_?!” Dominique asked her sharply.

 

That earned her a reproachful look, followed by a pretty shrug. “I mean I don't _know_ , okay? I was messing around with this bloke who transferred from Durmstrang for a while and then I dumped him for this guitar player I met at a party,” Victoire ticked off a few more names on her fingers, Dominique soon losing track of who was whom.

 

Though her sister had been dating since she had turned fourteen, it had soon become apparent that she enjoyed the chase more than she did a healthy relationship. Dominique had seen the way she would carelessly toss boy after boy away no matter how good they had appeared for someone she thought was better, “How could you m-mess around like that?!”

 

 

“What was I supposed to do? Boys ask me out and unlike _you_ , I'm not going to sit around hiding in a corner and not go, I can't help that people find me attractive and witty.” Victoire said to her with the most outrageous smirk on her face.

 

Dominique had never felt like slapping her sister more and refrained from doing so, confused on why people seemed to think her so perfect. At Hogwarts she played the dutiful student and loving Prefect but she knew better and hated that she got away with it, “You're vapid and sh-shallower than a puddle,”

 

Victoire frowned angrily and glared at her, though it did little good. Dominique wasn't desperate for her companionship and didn't think the threat of making her furious was enough to subdue her into doing what she wanted...not this time anyway, “Don't let your jealousy speak for you, Dom, tell me what you _really_ think,” she said dryly.

 

“Th-that would take all day.” Dominique shot back just as dryly. Victoire glowered at her, lips set in a ridiculous pout as a very awkward silence fell between them, the caw of seagulls mixing in oddly with that twist in her stomach, “what do you w-want me to do?”

 

Victoire had been contemplative and silent for once but her eyes sparked at the question, causing Dominique to feel a shudder of unease. “I need you to get me a pregnancy potion kit from Diagon Alley,”she said, looking as if she hadn't given a thought to the fact that Dominique was younger than her and would raise suspicions.

 

“Do you know how stupid th-that sounds? I don't h-have any money or an ID if they ask q-questions!” Dominique cried, beyond startled by her sister's lack of depth. Victoire rolled her eyes at her excuses, looking down at her flawless pink nails as she spoke, “I'm nowhere near old enough!”

 

Victoire heaved a weary sigh, looking as if her entire life was about to be ruined and not the possible fact that Dominique's could as well. If an of their acquaintances or family spotted her, there would be all Hell to pay once their parents found out, “Don't you think I know how to handle this? You're going to go in disguise and buy it.”

 

“Are you m-mental?” Dominique cried.

 

Victoire waved it away with a flick of her dainty hand, as if she were trying to get rid of a bothersome fly and Dominique wished she could get rid of this stupid plan as easily. A sly expression came over her sister's beautiful face and it reminded her of a very nasty angel, “I have a bit of Polyjuice potion left over from some I stole from Zabini last year, it'll last you long enough to get in and get out.”

 

“And where w-will you be?” Dominique demanded furiously, thinking that her sister had probably concocted the easiest plan for herself not to get caught. It would be the most humiliating thing for her, having the bud of her career and life stamped out by being pregnant at sixteen and she knew that her sister was far too selfish to ever care and truly take care of a child. “Why n-not use the p-potion on yourself?”

 

The question seemed to amuse Victoire immensely and she gave a hearty laugh that only made Dominique's temper flare like a flame. There had always been a family joke that a Weasley woman's temper could frighten skin off the bone but she had rarely been so furious herself, “I'm going to be too busy!”

 

“D-doing what?” Dominique demanded, finding the thought ridiculous. Victoire's face scrunched a little and she felt herself fuming silently, wanting more than to smack her across the face as hard as she could, “you had better t-tell me that you're going to see the bloke th-that knocked you up and doomed us all!”

 

Victoire jumped at the sound of her voice rising and quickly placed a finger to her lips, shushing her and making Dominique's hands clench the binding of her forgotten book. After looking around once more to make sure that no one was overhearing their conversation, save for a dead house-elf long buried beneath Dominique's feet, she said hotly, “I don't really know who that is, all right?”

 

Dominique's face flooded with heat, knowing that she was beyond angry now. There seemed to be no end to her sister's games and lies and it was no wonder that most of their cousins claimed to have gone mad from being around her, “Then w-where are you going?”she demanded.

 

“To the ballet studio, there's this bloke there that knows the instructor for Swan Lake. He says that he can get me an easy audition if I go out on a date with him this afternoon, you have no idea how much I want this, Dom!” Victoire cried helplessly, placing a hand to her chest and looking more earnest than she'd ever seen her.

 

Dominique had been aware of how selfish her sister could be but this seemed beyond anything that she had ever dared to ask her before. Her jaw fell open, “You e-expect me to be okay with th-that?! What about what c-could happen to me?”she exclaimed in a furious rush.

 

Victoire's face actually took on a brief moment of guilt before she reached out to grip Dominique's knee, her fingernails digging through her jeans. “You have to do this for me, Dom! Just go round Uncle George's and Floo back home when the potion wears off. Give me the kit and I swear I'll never ask anything of you again!”

 

That's w-what you said _last_ time!” Dominique reminded her angrily, recalling the lies that she had continually told their parents so she could sneak out to meet one of her boyfriends last month when she had supposed to be “studying” with friends. In exchange for Victoire buying her a new wand after Louis had broken it by accident, it had been worth it but now.. “and e-every single time before that!”

 

Victoire looked on the verge of tears and Dominique thought that she had a lot of nerve to be the one upset at the moment. Although being in her situation, she wasn't quire sure how she would feel either, finding out that she was pregnant with their family stability at stake, "Just this one last favor, Dom!" I'm coming to you as a sister!" she begged, adding a good little sniffle.

 

That seemed to make Dominique's mood turn very dark, the fact that Victoire had never been there for her as a sister a glaringly obvious truth. “This entire th-thing is about you!” she didn't care how their parents would feel or what poor Louis would do dealing with the taunts at school, he was already shy enough without all that. “Don't pretend l-like you c-care about the rest of us!”

 

“Oh, is that what this is about? _You_?” Victoire asked nastily, eyes flashing. “Just because you're not as pretty or as talented as me doesn't mean that you have to act like we're not related!” she snarled, looking like some vengeful creature.

 

It was true and everyone knew it. Dominique's supposed beauty was nothing in comparison to her sister, who had always stood in the spotlight while she'd grown comfortable slinking in behind, never noticed and never appreciated, “That's not what th-this is a-about y-you cow!”she almost screamed.

 

Victoire's face took on a look of pure offense and she placed a delicate hand to her full chest as if she might faint. Dominique could call her sister anything but never, not ever did she dare go so far as to say that she was fat, “How _dare_ you, I'm a ballerina—you take that back!”

 

“Make me!” Dominique snarled.

 

“I am not fat!” Victoire raged.

 

“You're still a cow!” Dominique snapped as she stood up, flinging her book at her head. Victoire ducked and it skidded into the sand a few feet from her, “you h-have _always_ been a cow!”she snarled, turning around and stomping away.

 

There was nowhere to run but back inside the cottage and Dominique didn't think that she wanted to face either of their parents just now. If they caught the look on her face they would automatically assume that something was wrong, that she had somehow caused the problem like always and that was not what she needed right now, “Dom-Dom!” Victoire shouted after her, using that hideous nickname.

 

For as long as she could remember, Dominique had always carried that nickname with her, all because Louis hadn't been able to pronounce her name correctly when he'd been a baby. Everyone in the family, especially her younger cousins still used it but it had always sounded too much like they were calling her “dumb dumb” “I hate th-that coming from y-you!” Dominique hissed over her shoulder.

 

Victoire was stomping over to her across the mounds of sand and bits of dead grass, long red hair flinging this way and that. There was a wounded look to her face that surprised her and she halted in her steps reluctantly, hating that she might be flinging herself into a trap, “I know you do but you are my sister!” the older girl huffed, standing before her.

 

“Sometimes I...” Dominique started but then stopped herself, unwilling to go that far today. Despite how much her sister enraged her and despite how unfair they were treated at home, she had never uttered those dreadful three words—she had never said that she hated her, “I just can't do this for y-you Toire!”

 

Victoire's face crumbled immediately at the words and to Dominique's shame and horror, she burst into tears. The pale face underneath her straw hat was distraught, “But I'm so scared Dom! I know that I messed up and I know that everything is my fault but you're the only person that I know I can turn to to!” she sobbed, burying her face in her hands and sobbing loudly.

 

Dominique felt her heart twist at the words and something inside of her thrilled at the prospect that her sister valued whatever bond they could have. It had been so long since she had actually felt loved by Victoire and she was startled by how much it meant to her just now, “You d-don't have to get m-mushy....” she muttered uncomfortably.

 

“But you don't understand the sort of pressure that I'm under!” Victoire sobbed after lifting her face and staring beseechingly into her startled eyes. Dominique recoiled slightly, overcome by the mixed reaction that she was encountering by the display, “I have to be perfect all the time—this would ruin everything for me! I can't let my life fall apart because of a baby!”

 

Dominique wanted to tell her that if she was pregnant that it wouldn't be the unborn child's fault that it had been conceived but she didn't think that would go over very well. Although she wasn't fond of babies, she knew that her sister would practically wither away at the thought of taking care of someone else's needs over her own, “Don't be like th-that.” She tried to soothe but her sister was still wailing and the situation was turning down a road that scared her a little, the sudden reality of it making her head swim. “Look, I'll d-do it.”

 

Victoire's sobs ceased slowly and a relieved, if not mystified smile started to form before she yanked Dominique's stiff body into a hug. She smelt like sunshine and flowers and some fancy Italian perfume that she would never be able to pronounce, “Oh, Dom-Dom! You're the best! Simply the best—I don't know what I would do without you!”her sister proclaimed shrilly through her tears.

 

For some reason, Dominique found herself hugging her back even though she had to bend down a little to rest her forehead on her shoulder. Victoire was supposed to be the oldest but if there was something that she had over her, it was height and it made her wonder just how small her sister was just now, risking everything on a younger sister that mostly couldn't stand her. “Y-you're a-a d-disease,” she whispered.

 

“And I'm the only sister you've got and I love you.” Victoire said back in a cooing sort of voice that reminded her of some demented cherub. Dominique's heart threatened to melt with longing...wanting nothing more than her sister's affection, attention and praise, “I'll never forget this Dom.” She may not ever forget it, but Dominique would be the one laying awake at night, wondering whether or not she was telling the truth.

 

~*~

 

 

Polyjuice potion tasted like dirty bathwater. Dominique's numb and panicked mind somehow managed to focus on this one small fact as she choked the potion down in a bathroom stall at Flourish and Blotts, her stomach cramping painfully, “Ugh,” she gasped, the potion sliding like mud down her throat and making her clench the flask in her fist. It was a bright pink monstrosity laden with gemstones that Victoire must have had someone buy for her, since their parents would never have agreed to such a thing and she stuffed it into her bag as if it were contaminated.

 

Victoire had given her the money she would need to buy the pregnancy potion kit before she had left earlier. Her sister had flippantly explained that the sooner she got this done, the quicker they would be able to put the incident behind them. Dominique wasn't so sure that this would be so easily pushed aside if Victoire turned out to be pregnant and she worried that the truth of the potion would reveal just how imperfect her sister really was.

 

Some part of Dominique was secretly thrilled at the prospect but knew that it wouldn't be fair to herself or Louis, who were constantly overshadowed by their parents' affection for their older sister in the first place. Their family dynamics would be torn apart and she wasn't sure how she would be able to get through her fourth year at Hogwarts without the various taunts and sneers that would most likely be hurled her way. Dominique got enough of that already at school and she wasn't sure how she would be able to stop herself from slinking further into the background and ignoring the world. “D-damn Toire,” she muttered.

 

Victoire owed her for this and while Dominique hadn't gone through specifically what she would want out of this bargain, she knew that she wouldn't let her sister forget it. This would never be happening again. There would be no more little favors from her after this and she vowed that she would finally let the mistakes and trouble catch up with Victoire. It wouldn't be her responsibility if her sister couldn't even admit to her own wrongdoings and she blamed their parents for always spoiling her and allowing her to get away with whatever she wanted for so long without consequence.

 

The thought settled nastily in her squirming stomach, along with the Polyjuice potion that was making her dizzy and she sank onto the toilet lid gratefully, feeling her body bubbling and stretching. The transformation wasn't particularly painful but Dominique was overcome with hot flashes and little aches in her limbs that made her think that her bones were being cracked and popped until they finally settled.

 

Feeling a little lightheaded, Dominique slowly stood and braced her hand on the stall door to steady herself. Quickly, she looked down at her feet for her backpack and took out her spare change of clothes, shaking a little in surprise at how much fuller this body was and wondering if her own clothes would be able to fit. Victoire had advised that she dress completely different from how she normally would so no one would be suspicious and had chosen clothes that their mother had bought for her ages ago and that had been too frilly for Dominique's taste.

 

Groaning in revulsion as she slipped on a pale blue lace tank top with an expensive beige jacket, Dominique wondered if she were really doing the right thing. This wasn't the first time that her sister had asked a favor out of her. Dominique frowned and wondered if she should have made Victoire come along but knew that her sister would have only given her excuses and would have died rather than be seen in the apothecary buying a pregnancy potion kit.

 

Over the years, many apothecaries had decided to go into the business of ready-made potions and products and Diagon Alley had boomed from the success, making it easier for those insufficient at making their own potions had an easier time. Dominique knew that feminine robe places like Madame Malkin's and Beauty Within would be too scandalized to ever offer something such as a pregnancy potion kit so she knew that going there would be useless.

 

Their mother loved those shops and usually got the best robes and dresses there but Dominique had never enjoyed going shopping with Victoire and her mother. It was always a very boring experience and she was never really paid much attention to anyway when her mother insisted on dressing her like the other daughter she wished she had and she frowned.

 

This wasn't the time to be dwelling on that right now and she shimmied uncomfortably into a knee-length black skirt riddled with ruffles at the hem. Dominique quickly removed her scuffed trainers for a pair of wedge sandals. They were uncomfortable to get into but she managed without banging her head too badly on the stall door, though she knew that she had let out a very loud shriek when she almost slipped on a bit of toilet paper.

 

After smoothing her hands over her new figure and being increasingly aware of how much cleavage she now had, she gathered her backpack and slipped out of the stall. For a moment she held her breath and looked around, looking for any sign that someone had slipped into the bathroom and heard the strange sounds she had been making as the Polyjuice had taken over.

 

The bathroom was still empty however and she blew out a sigh of relief before going to the sinks to survey her borrowed face, curious despite herself. It was a very natural instinct for a Ravenclaw she supposed but she took no pleasure in seeing nothing of her tall, pale-blonde self staring back at her from the mirror. Whoever this girl was had more of a confident, if not sultry look to her features that Dominique could ever hope for, “It figures.” She found herself muttering while hoping that no one recognized her.

 

Big brown eyes with thick lashes, a delicate mouth and a cute button nose were not the characteristics that Dominique possessed. She stared at herself more closely, wrinkling her adorable nose and shaking her new, lustrous brown hair. Not only was the girl far cuter than she currently was, she was also a tad shorter, which forced Dominique to roll the sleeves up on her jacket a little. The constraints of her bra was being tested and she had to hastily hike her tank top up a bit so her cleavage wouldn't show, her cheeks flushing a little at the strange thrill it gave her.

 

Thinking that it would be best not to be too comfortable, she reached into her bag, took out a pair of giant black sunglasses (Courtesy of Victoire) and slipped them on before stepping back. She didn't look like herself but that wouldn't stop someone from asking too many questions if she appeared gawky and unsure and she swallowed hard, hoping that she would be able to get through this without catching anyone's eye.

 

After inhaling quickly and smoothing her hands once more down her front to make sure that everything was in decent condition, she left. Flourish and Blotts was flooded with customers once she walked back to the front, pushing and shoving her way towards the exits and hearing the aggravated grunt of various Hogwarts students and parents as she did so.

 

All of her supplies had been bought and wrapped already but Dominique spent a quick moment or two admiring the rows of books in various sizes, thinking that she would have to get her hands on a thumb-size novel sometime. Because she tended to spend a lot of her time alone, she had grown rather fond of books and often borrowed some from her Aunt Hermione when she had the chance, knowing that the endless library at her home could keep her occupied for hours.

 

Giving a wistful sigh at the thought, Dominique ran her fingers lightly over a hardbound copy of _A Witch's Guide to Wizards_ before she managed to squeeze her way out of the building. Bright sunlight greeted her the instant she was on the sidewalk and she was thankful for the ridiculous sunglasses before making her way into the crowd, hoping that the apothecary wasn't as packed as the bookstore had been.

 

The journey there wasn't as quick as she would have wanted with all the people crowding the streets and sidewalks but she managed to get there in good enough time. There had been several Hogwarts students walking around that she had recognized but to her relief, none of them had really glanced her way, save for a few boys that had sent her warm smiles. Dominique had never been noticed by boys much and she had only blushed and turned hastily away, earning strange chuckles from them that made her heart do funny things in her chest like a caged bird.

 

It felt oddly...nice to be looked at like she was pretty but she soon had to quell the thought, knowing that if she were back to her normal appearance they would hardly even glance her way. Dominique knew what most people thought about her, it wasn't odd for her to be completely ignored at Ministry functions or regarded like a mistake. The students at Hogwarts tended to forget that the amazing and wonderful Victoire Weasley even _had_ siblings but Dominique had grown used to the occasional sting it brought.

 

Being invisible was better than nothing.

 

Dominique knew that was a terrible thing to accept but now, all of Victoire's sparkling dreams rested on her shoulders and one little test and she couldn't quite ignore the irony. The bizarre course of their lives weighed heavily on her shoulders as she entered the building, the door giving an eerie sort of creak that made her flinch before she stepped inside. Her nerves were bouncing erratically beneath her skin and she prayed that she could hold it together long enough to find what she needed and get out before someone pointed out the anxious sweat brimming on her brow. Inhaling raggedly, she took in the spacious area with an uncertain eye, unsure where to begin looking.

 

Apothecaries always carried rather foul scents and she placed a hand to her nose, trying not to inhale what smelt like boiled rats in butter. Dominique had never liked walking into these places and she forced herself not to look at the jars filled with toad eyes that were half off starting next week. Her stomach threatened to dance and she fought off the sensation as she walked further in, unsure how people could tolerate it. Rows upon rows of boxed this and that lined the high shelves along with potions and books that were gathering a bit of dust as a few people walked around, looking just as overwhelmed by the stench.

 

Dominique's eyes strayed to a large bucket filled with dried newt tails and stepped forward uncertainly, still debating where she should begin searching. There were no helpful signs around directing her to the Witch's section and she wondered if she had chosen an apothecary that didn't feature such a personal selection of female potions and felt a moment of panic. “They expect me to pay ten Galleons for one small, twisted newt tail? They're mad,” she heard an old witch muttering near the bucket, the sound of her voice making her jump.

 

The woman shot her an irritable glance before motioning for an employee rearranging what looked like large, fat brown worms. Dominique quickly fled down an adjacent aisle before the haggard man asked if she needed anything and spent several minutes walking past vials of this and that, buckets full of dry, many-legged things before finally spotting the Witches Section. “Thank God,” she muttered gratefully under her breath.

 

Blessedly, there was no one sharing the long stretch of aisle with her and she sent up a silent prayer to whatever was watching over her before discreetly searching the shelves for what she needed. There seemed to be far more here than she had anticipated and it took far too long, making her wonder what she had foolishly gotten herself into. Dominique cursed under her breath as she glanced around warily, hoping that no one was around to see how flustered she was becoming.

 

Rows upon rows of boxes and packaged potions met her eye and her cheeks flamed as she read some of the titles; _Intimate Relaxer gel_ , _His and Her Erotic Fantasies_ and one that advertised that various contraceptives came in exotic fruit flavors.

 

Dominique had no idea what some of them were for precisely but she tried not to think about it as she looked for the pregnancy potion kit. Although it took a while, she found it stacked neatly in the middle in bright pink and white boxes. Glancing down the aisle to make sure that no one saw her, she quickly snatched one of them off the shelf and glanced over the directions and read:

 

 

_**For any proud witch expecting her own little bundle of joy!** _

 

_**This ready-made potion kit is simple, easy and proven to be effective for millions of eager couples and vulnerable single mothers.** _

 

_**The directions are simple and quick for those inept or too busy to create their own potion; Simply provide a small urine sample in the beaker provided and mix thoroughly into the ready-made potion solution.** _

 

_**After waiting for five or ten minutes, the potion should either turn blue for yes and white for no** _

 

_**The journey to parenthood or a celebrated life of single living awaits you!** _

 

 

Dominique's face was scrunched in embarrassment and distaste, somehow thinking that whoever had come up with this potion kit had a rather low opinion of children. It made her think of Victoire and how miserable she would be if she were pregnant and shuddered, knowing that it would not be a pleasant experience for anyone involved, “M-Merlin help us,” she muttered. After tucking the package under her arm, she hastily darted for the register up front, hoping that no one found her hasty steps curious enough to question but she thought she saw a tall blue-haired boy examining her by a shelf of dried frog heads.

 

But that was impossible.

 

Dominique's stomach lurched with both panic and horror at the familiar blue locks, her hands suddenly very sweaty before she determinedly turned away, hoping against all that was holy that it was not Teddy Lupin. Plenty of Diagon Alley kids were into dying their hair wild colors to imitate their favorite rock bands, she tried to reason and it made absolutely no sense that she would spot Teddy Lupin here when he was supposed to be working at the Ministry during break. The thought soothed her a little because she wasn't quite sure what she would do if she had to make some sort of small talk with the beast and the fact that she was disguised didn't quite remove her distress.

 

If there was one thing that Teddy Lupin enjoyed more than bullying anyone he could get his hands on, various Weasley cousins and a poor Albus Potter his usual prey, it was hitting on some girl. He had a terrible reputation with women and she had tactfully tried to avoid him as much as possible whenever they happened to run into one another at some family function or another. Dominique had never been able to tolerate him for more than a few minutes and there were quite a few people who felt the same about the boy.

 

Uncle Harry was his godfather and Teddy was often at the Potter's house whenever the man wasn't busy but Dominique doubted that Albus Potter enjoyed it much. Although she didn't really understand much about Teddy or how he managed to lure people in, she knew that he often visited Fred Weasley II, who was his best friend and lived here in Diagon Alley. Dominique didn't really comprehend how they managed to get along so well but Roxanne Weasley, her younger cousin probably dealt with him much more than she did since the two boys were nearly inseparable. Teddy didn't interact with their other cousins much but on the occasions that the boy was among the rest of the family, she found it to be nothing but torture.

 

Teddy Lupin always seemed to demand spotlight and attention and while Dominique knew that his grandmother took very good care of him and doted on his every wish, he seemed to have a sense of entitlement that always grated on her nerves. “You guys think you're so bloody lucky just because you have parents, don't you?” she had heard him mutter more than once when he thought no one was listening.

 

Dominique had never understood the sort of pain that he might be going through from knowing how both of his parents had died during the War. She could relate to not knowing them, since she barely even knew her own parents or caught their notice but Teddy Lupin was not someone that she wasted time speaking to, he had always made her very uncomfortable. Dominique paused briefly as a dark memory splashed in her mind of the boy but she didn't want to think about it or the secret they shared with one another. It was bad enough recalling the pig incident and she knew that even with that painful secret between them that Teddy enjoyed nothing more than making fun of her stutter or watching her with noticeable hostility.

 

She hated him.

 

Teddy always had such a hearty laugh and Dominique couldn't help but remember why she had the stutter in the first place, the thing with the pigs flashing through her mind. No. She was not going to bother thinking about that right now, Teddy Lupin was nothing but a bully and Dominique had never been able to stand him, finding that his presence usually brought on strange little butterflies that she associated with needing to vomit, “Would this be all, miss?” the cashier asked behind the counter, making her jump.

 

Dominique's mind had been wandering so badly that she hadn't even realized she'd placed the box onto the counter for all to see. Blushing at the curious stare the man was giving her, she nodded hastily and was glad that she still wore Victoire's sunglasses so he wouldn't see how wide her blue eyes were, “Y-yes,”she murmured, heart pounding rapidly.

 

“Expecting a little one soon then?” The man asked her casually as he rang up her purchase, looking apple cheeked and happy for her. Dominique doomed him to a horrible death and he went on joyfully, saying in a rather carrying voice that she found too humiliating, “you're a tad young to be starting a family of your own but then again, I married young after the War.” He didn't seem to judge her harshly and added with a proud laugh, “I have three little beasts of my own,” he said with a genuine smile at her.

 

Dominique flushed red and watched as he waited for some sort of polite reply and she fumbled for one, reaching into her backpack and snatching out a bag of Galleons. Victoire had given them to her from her own allowance, “Erm, that's wonderful. I-I mean...” she muttered uncertainly and he gave her what she thought was an understanding smile before telling her the price. Fifteen Galleons later, she was cradling the small bag to her chest and making a quick exit, “e-excuse me,” she stuttered in alarm as the blue-haired boy materialized in front of the door.

 

“Sorry, I thought you were someone I knew. Not trying to bother you,” Dominique heard him say and she stared into the bright brown eyes of Teddy Lupin with evident terror. He was dressed like some sort of punk reject today and she knew that if Victoire had been around she would have mocked him openly and cruelly in front of anyone, “you mind?” he asked, opening the door for her.

 

Dominique's head jerked in a stiff nod as she made her escape, horrified when he followed after her and she felt panic tighten in her breast. She had to get somewhere and change, she could already feel the effects of the Polyjuice potion wearing off and worried that someone would notice, “N-no,”she said stupidly as they walked side by side on the sidewalk.

 

“So, I've never seen you around before and I think I would have noticed such a cute girl.” Teddy said down to her with a beaming smile that made her stomach do a stupid flip. He had a very nice smile and while Dominique had never found him that cute, it felt very different when he was displaying his famed charm on her, “do you live around here?”

 

Dominique's panic increased as she felt her clothes beginning to tighten against her body, the Polyjuice potion wearing off faster than ever. Hastily, she picked up her pace and was annoyed when Teddy followed at an easy step, his long legs giving him an advantage, “No.” She said crisply, surprised that she hadn't stuttered.

 

Teddy raised his blue brows at that in surprise and a smile started on his face that she couldn't place. It felt as if he were finding her amusing and she swallowed the bile in her throat, “No? You want me to show you around?” there was a warmth to his gaze that reminded her of warm chocolate. “I could take you to this great bar in Knockturn Alley or maybe somewhere nicer...what's your ideal place to have lunch?” he asked in a weird, husky voice.

 

Dominique's cheeks flamed rapidly and she continued on her way, pushing through the crowd and hearing him give an exasperated laugh. He thought that she was being a tease and she felt nothing but disgust at his arrogance and felt her irritation spike at the hand he placed on her lower back, steering her towards a little cafe across the street. “B-bugger off Teddy!” she snapped unthinkingly.

 

That caused Teddy's face to take on a look of pure surprise and he suddenly bent to peer into her face, causing Dominique to reel away. “Do I know you? Are you from that Twisted Duo after party?” he asked, scrunching up his face as he continued bullying her across the street and making her dance and skirt around passerby. “I don't remember being with a brunette that night but then again, I was smashed as hell.”

 

Did women actually find this attractive?

 

Dominique's mind screamed in revulsion and she twisted free of his grip, shoving him aside and making him stumble a little on very expensive leather boots. “Can I help you with s-something you bully?”she asked in a hiss and he laughed.

 

Teddy ran a hand over his jaw thoughtfully, as if he had a few things in mind and Dominique's stomach did another twist. She turned away from him, catching her harassed reflection in a shop window and gasping in terror at the sight of her hair turning from brown to pale blonde and making her wonder just how dense the boy at her side was.

 

“Wait a minute..” Teddy said suddenly, watching as Dominique started to back away. “No one calls me a bully without knowing me first!” he said with a hearty, confused laugh. “I swear I know you from somewhere. Have we met?”

 

“No, w-we haven't!” Dominique muttered and he leaned forward, placing a hand behind his ear and raising his brows. He was much too close and smelt like a mixture of male sweat and cologne, which was an oddly intoxicating fragrance, “get away from me!” she snapped, stunned by both her lack of stutter and the knowing smile that started on his face.

 

“I think you should drop the act, it's obvious that you know me.” Teddy remarked flatly.

 

Dominique cradled the bag to her chest as recognition started to form, her body elongating and settled before his eyes. This was the worst moment of her life! Victoire and Teddy hated one another, he would love nothing more than to ruin her life, “I have to go!” she cried furiously, turning hastily on her heel.

 

“Oi, wait a _damn_ minute!” Teddy snapped after her, hot in pursuit.

 

“Go away!” Dominique cried, panicked.

 

Teddy scowled and she gasped in outrage as she tried to push through a group of people that were huddled on the street. A few girls were flipping their hair and giggling at him, “You can run all you like but I'm going to catch you!” he said fiercely. There was a brightness to his eyes that made her think of hell fire, “I know who you are and this just can't get any sweeter.” He sneered gleefully, reaching out to grab her arm.

 

Dominique retaliated by smacking him as hard as she could with her bag, landing a good enough blow on the side of his face. That earned a laugh from the group of tittering boys and girls but Teddy only snorted in annoyance and grabbed the bag before she could hit him again, “Give me th-that!” she screamed furiously, struggling with him him for it.

 

Teddy's eyes were impish and mean and he easily overpowered her by giving a strong yank that caused the bag to not only rip loudly, but spill its contents onto the ground. Dominique gave a mortified cry as she bent to pick it up, hating that the bold Witch's Pregnancy Potion Kit was so easily seen by anyone willing to look, “Oh-ho, what's _this_!?” Teddy laughed as he snatched it up, examining the box with a very calculating gleam.

 

Dominique fumed and scrabbled upright, panting heavily. “G-give that back t-to me!”

 

“Make me.” Teddy taunted.

 

“You don't know me! I'm free to do whatever I w-want!” Dominique cried hotly.

 

Teddy was silent for a long time and Dominique hated the pressure it brought onto the air, knowing that he was the sort that enjoyed teasing and scheming. His eyes were still roaming over the box, an amused smile working into his face, “Knock it off, Dom-Dom. Mind telling me what you thought you were doing buying a pregnancy test?”

 

Dominique's face paled even though she shouldn't have thought denying the obvious would have worked in the first place. With a quick glance in a shop window, she saw that she had been reduced back to herself and felt a pang for something that didn't quite make sense, “I-it's not for m-me! It's for Toire—no, I-I mean,” she stammered hopelessly, watching as Teddy's eyes gleamed.

 

“For _her_ , huh?” Teddy asked nastily, running his tongue over his lower lip as if tasting a very delightful treat. Dominique cursed herself and watched as he bent into her pale face, grinning wildly, “let's go find somewhere to have a nice little talk, Dom-Dom. I've got this idea, see and you're going to help me out with it or else...” and he let that hang in the air ominously, Dominique knowing that she wouldn't be able to escape.

 


	2. Playmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dominique strikes a deal with Teddy Lupin in order to save Victoire and meets an interesting person along the way.

 

Dominique's heart was pounding furiously in her chest and she was very aware that Teddy Lupin's cunning brown eyes were amused by her reaction as they sat across from one another inside a bustling cafe. The scents of freshly baked cakes and breads mingled pleasantly with various coffees and spices but she was unable to take any joy in it, her mind was too busy trying to discover a possible way out of this unsavory situation. Victoire had sent her into Diagon Alley with the hope that she would be able to buy her a pregnancy potion kit without being noticed by anyone. But as her luck would have it, the person that had spotted her was worse than a bad omen or suddenly being thrust into a surprise potion test by Zabini back at Hogwarts.

 

Teddy Lupin, for reasons that she had never quite understood, hated Victoire. Although they had all grown up around one another, Dominique couldn't recall a time that the two of them had really gotten along, they seemed to regard each other as nothing more than monsters in human form. Dominique thought back to various arguments in the past between the pair and shuddered slightly, knowing that it wasn't for the faint of heart. More than once, she had seen Victoire nearly leap at Teddy's smirking face only to be yanked back by a laughing Uncle George or their frowning father, who was never amused by their bickering.

 

It was sort of a joke between all of their cousins that Victoire and Teddy would claw each other to death before they ever made it past twenty. Dominique couldn't quite think of why Teddy would hate her sister so much, aside from all the obvious reasons but there seemed to be a lot between them that was being left unsaid. Then again, it might have just been a guess on her part when Victoire probably found being dipped in frog intestines more appealing but knowing Teddy, he would be the one to push her in. There were very few things that Dominique had in common with her older sister but she could understand her dislike for him, “What a-are you g-going to do w-with me?” Dominique dared to ask.

 

Teddy had been watching her face carefully, his lips turned up in what could only have been his imitation of a charming smile. The flash of white teeth reminded her of a shark, although it was impossible to imagine a shark with a gold tooth, “You don't have to sound like I'm going to arrest you Dom-Dom,” he said with a mocking laugh. “I just want to talk, can't we have a nice little chat?”

 

“You know I h-hate you,” Dominique found herself saying in a whisper, aware that if she raised her voice even a margin that it would attract unwanted attention. There were a lot of couples in the cafe and she felt her cheeks heating slightly, knowing that she appeared to be the most unwilling date any boy could have ever dreamed of, “and I don't have t-time for th-this,”

 

Teddy considered the words and ran his thumb over his chin thoughtfully and the action was something that reminded her of a lecherous lord from one of her novels. Although in her novels, the villains never had bright blue hair or wore shredded clothing in an attempt to be edgy, “It's not as if you have a social life you have to get back to, Dom-Dom so drop the act already and relax.”

 

The words stung and Dominique glared at him irritably and clenched her hands tightly in her lap, wishing that she could run away. But Teddy had the pregnancy potion kit situated nicely on his side of the booth and he'd already hinted that he would spread the news of Victoire's possible pregnancy faster than she could ever get home, “How c-can I relax?” she asked indignantly.

 

“Why can't you? _You're_ not the pregnant one.” Teddy said with an open sneer that made Dominique long to smack him. “I really wish I could see the look on your sister's face when she finds out that I know,” he grinned, sounding simply giddy by the possibility.

 

Dominique's blood went a bit cold at the thought of her sister's life being carelessly ruined by Teddy Lupin. It would be her worst nightmare to have this gloating prat dancing over the ruins of her glittering life, “We d-don't know if she e-even is yet,” she made sure to point out.

 

Teddy appeared unconcerned by that small technicality. In fact, it only caused his irritating smile to grow even wider, “But just think of how horrible it would be for someone to even know whether she's pregnant or not and from the way your sister gets around, I wouldn't be surprised if she's already expecting a little bastard.”

 

“Don't t-talk about Toire th-that way,” Dominique defended angrily and Teddy's blue brows shot up in obvious amusement. “You d-don't have a g-great reputation either,” it was actually sort of embarrassing about what she had overheard the adults talking about, his infamous record with women was nearly as bad as Benjamin Malfoy's.

 

But Roxanne wouldn't appreciate the comparison, Dominique thought briefly. If there was one thing her cousin truly hated, it was any negative commentary on that...thing that she called a friend but she pushed the thought aside as Teddy replied coolly, “I'm a growing young man, no one cares about what I do. But her? Oh, it'll be such a bloody tragedy.”

 

Dominique narrowed her eyes on him and stalled for a moment, pushing a lock of her pale blonde hair behind her ears. She hadn't wanted to remove the sunglasses that Victoire had given her but they hadn't been allowed inside and it would be terrible if someone recognized her, “You kn-know how m-much Toire's p-popularity means to her,” she said coldly.

 

“Prancing around like she's such a queen at Hogwarts isn't the same as being actually liked. Plenty of people hate her,” Teddy shot back and there was a flash of pleasure in his brown eyes. Dominique couldn't help but wonder what her sister had done to him, if anything, to have him hating her so intensely, “I have enough hanging over her head that it'll be impossible for her to lie her way out of it.”

 

Alarm shot through Dominique's body and she couldn't imagine how terrible things would be if they went back to Hogwarts. It wouldn't take very long for the entire school to find out and Teddy was just as popular as her sister, if even more so and he could create rumors that would last for years if he wanted to, “Why w-would you do all th-this?”

 

Teddy appeared amused by the question and for a moment or two his eyes became thoughtful, intense and dangerous. There was something about the sour twist of his mouth that worried Dominique but she wasn't sure why, “Because I can't stand her and I'm going to have a little fun regardless, especially if things here don't work out the way I want them to,”

 

Dominique's brow crinkled in confusion and she once again looked around to make sure that no one was paying them any notice. They hadn't ordered anything yet and a waiter was walking over to them, forcing on a smile that she had to admire, it probably wasn't easy working in a busy place like this right before Hogwarts, “What are y-you pl-planning?” she asked Teddy angrily.

 

“Something hilarious,” Teddy responded meanly. Dominique's blue eyes narrowed on him spitefully even though she felt a coil of unease go down her spine like lightning, “and here I was thinking that my day wasn't going to get interesting before you showed up.”

 

Dominique's eyes narrowed in distaste, imagining just what he had been about to waste his entire day doing. Although she wasn't sure how he had managed to do it, he had gotten a part-time job at the Ministry running errands for her Aunt Angie, who was currently Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, “Don't you h-have a j-job?”

 

Teddy smirked charmingly, flashing those white teeth and that one gold one. “Not today,” at her annoyed frown, he laughed. The waiter was still headed their way and Dominique prayed he would shut up long enough before he arrived, “what I don't get is why you were disguised, Victoire should have owned up and bought the thing herself.”

 

That was exactly what Dominique had thought but she wasn't about to actually agree on something with Teddy and give him more things to use against Victoire. Instead, she stayed stonily silent and watched as he studied her curiously, in a way a child would an interesting toy, “Could I get you two anything?” an unfamiliar voice suddenly asked.

 

Dominique glanced away from Teddy's unsettling stare to regard the waiter that was standing by their table with a friendly smile. The waiter looked a little older than her and was about as lean as Teddy with light green eyes and short hair that appeared to be black until he shifted his head toward a shaft of light near the window, causing the strands to glow red.

 

It was very silly to forget the predicament that she had gotten into but Dominique couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. But there was something about the twist of his mouth that made her wonder and he seemed to have a weary cynicism etched around his eyes, “I'd like a latte with extra cream if you don't mind, good sir. What about you, sweet?” Teddy asked her charmingly.

 

The endearment made Dominique's skin crawl and she tore her gaze away from the handsome waiter and repressed a disgusted shudder. “I'll have a F-French vanilla cappuccino and a sl-slice of coconut c-cream pie, pl-please,” she said to the waiter, who had taken out a pad and was writing down their order with a bored expression, though he flicked his eyes to her briefly.

 

“Coconut cream, pet? I know its your favorite but you have to think of the baby, you should really eat healthier,” Teddy said with a mockingly soft expression. He had cupped his chin in his hand and watched the horror and fury flicker across her face with growing satisfaction, “you don't want to gain any unnecessary pounds.”

 

She hated him! Dominique's teeth clenched painfully on the slew of vicious curses she wanted to toss his way but they died in her throat. It wouldn't be wise to play his game but staying silent only caused her cheeks to burn furiously, “You must h-have me confused w-with s-someone else. Of course, when you're so p-popular and r-respectable with so many women, I can hardly blame you.”

 

Teddy's brown eyes narrowed in irritation at the cleverly crafted slap and for a moment Dominique felt a well of happiness at her own cunning. Respectable would never be a word that would be associated with him and both of them knew it and the fact that his antics had caught the disapproval of his grandmother only made the words that much sweeter, “So that was a latte, extra cream and French vanilla cappuccino with a coconut cream pie?” the waiter asked blandly, interrupting Teddy's next response.

 

“Yes, th-thank you,” Dominique replied politely to the waiter, giving him what she hoped was an amused smile. Anger was pounding in her blood and Teddy's face looked both thunderous and surprised, as if he had severely underestimated her, “that's all.”

 

The waiter had been looking at Teddy for confirmation and when he received a small nod from the blue-haired devil, he flicked his green eyes to Dominique's face. For just a moment, he shot her a curious little smile that made her get really strange swoops in her stomach, “Be right back, try not to rip your boyfriend to pieces while I'm gone.” He said before he promptly left.

 

Dominique's stomach did another swoop, this one not nearly as pleasant and making her conscious of the need to vomit. “You're not as hopeless as I always thought, Dom-Dom, I'm surprised.” Teddy said with a nasty little sneer on his face before he broke into a bright smile at her expense. “I was only teasing.”

 

“You w-were being a p-prat! What if s-someone recognizes me?” Dominique's voice grew a tad too loud and she quickly quieted. They weren't getting many stares and the few that they were happened to always fall on Teddy, who seemed to draw others to him without trying, “do you kn-know what c-could happen?”

 

Teddy gave her a blank look as if he knew exactly what would happen, which would explain why he had teased her in the first place. It was a nasty thing to do and Dominique would forever be mystified by how he had wound up in Gryffindor and not Slytherin, “Relax, no one cares who you are. I'm pretty sure no one knows you at school either.”

 

Dominique's existence was only loosely acknowledged by the fact that she was Victoire Weasley's younger sister. The fact that she stuttered and kept to herself had given her a reputation best suited for a gargoyle, “How charming you are,” she spat acidly, feeling a sting at the words.

 

“You know you don't stutter all the time?” Teddy asked in apparent amazement and Dominique was once again startled by that fact. It seemed that she didn't stutter quite as badly with him and that only made her dislike him all the more, “that thing with the pigs was ages ago and honestly, you should be over it by now.”

 

Dominique's mind flashed back to that horrible day and felt a rage that she could barely control sweep through her. Teddy Lupin was a curse and the fact that he took such a casual attitude about his involvement only infuriated her, “H-how could I g-get over it? It was your f-fault!”

 

Teddy slouched lazily on his side of the booth, looking a tad bored with this fact and Dominique's hands desperately tightened in her lap. Eventually, he drawled, “Are you going to keep blaming everyone else for your problems forever, Dom-Dom?”

 

“W-what do you mean?” Dominique demanded, eerie recalling that Victoire had accused the same thing earlier on the beach. “I don't b-blame anyone f-for anything,” but even as she said the words, she knew that it was sort of a lie, she couldn't help but resent her parents for how she and her siblings were raised but she had never truly analyzed it before.

 

There was an exasperated laugh from Teddy as he ran his fingers through his blue hair. For just a moment, he looked like a model for some obscure rock album and Dominique thought that the universe was very unfair, “Even if you didn't stutter, you wouldn't be all that great. You don't talk to anyone and you don't open up, I don't see how that's my fault.”

 

They were carefully crafted words and they made Dominique's heart do a strange, painful twist in her chest. It had always been hard for her to open up and relax around other people and to have that broadly spoken about now only made her wish that she had never agreed to follow along with Victoire's plan, not when the truth hurt so badly. “You're partly the r-reason why and you know it!”

 

“Because of the pigs? You have got to be kidding!” Teddy asked incredulously and he studied her rising anger and discomfort with a pitying smile. Dominique glared at him venomously, “just because of that I'm suddenly to blame for your horrible social skills and insecurities?”

 

Dominique's teeth were starting to grind together painfully and she wanted nothing more for her French vanilla cappuccino to arrive. Tossing it into his mocking face was tempting, “Pointing ht-those out just makes you even more of a prat, you never care about what you say to anyone, d-do you?” she snapped angrily.

 

Teddy appeared surprised by the question and actually seemed to ponder it and Dominique glowered at him, knowing that he probably had never considered it before. Toire was exactly the same, putting her own needs above everyone else's unless she needed something, “Why should I? I've got nothing to lose and life is too short to be polite.”

 

“But it h-hurts when you say t-things like that and you're too selfish to c-care,” Dominique's voice trembled slightly as she said the words, unsure if she were speaking to her sister or the prat sitting across from her. “It's w-why people h-hate you.”

 

A very uncomfortable silence fell after the words and the bustling cafe seemed to be the only thing that was alive. Excited conversation and the intimate whispers of couples around them only made Dominique eager to leave this place, nearly thinking that she would sacrifice Victoire's future just to be away from Teddy, “Hope I'm not interrupting anything.” Someone said and Dominique jumped just a little to see that their waiter had returned, carrying a tray.

 

“No, we're fine. Just pointing out ugly truths to one another in the way only tender lovers can,” Teddy replied to the waiter with a flashing smile. That gold tooth was starting to anger Dominique even more than he did and she forced her face into an unreadable mask, though the waiter shot a glance at her before setting their things in front of them, “say, do I know you?”

 

Dominique's anger and growing depression were forgotten for a second as she looked between Teddy and the waiter. Her cappuccino was being set neatly on a saucer for her and the boy paused in his actions, “I don't think you do, you're probably thinking of my brother.” He replied with a shrug as he briefly glanced away.

 

“Huhn, you don't say...?” Teddy murmured curiously as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking ridiculously like some cheesy villain from one of her books. Dominique's thoughts must have shown on her face because the waiter chuckled as he set a large slice of coconut pie in front of her, “oh, now I get why I was confused on where I knew you from! You're Kieran Rookwood's kid brother, aren't you?” he suddenly cried, sounding extremely proud of himself.

 

A sharp look of annoyance flashed on the waiter's face even though Dominique had no idea who Kieran Rookwood was or why the information made Teddy look so intrigued. “Yeah, but that's not news that I like having thrown around.” The boy said with a scowl, looking around warily, “if any of those fangirls found out, all they'd do is hound me and I need this job right now,”

 

Dominique's mind was quickly working and whirring as she went through her short database of who was currently popular at Hogwarts. Various names and faces flashed through her mind but she wasn't able to figure out who this Kieran Rookwood was or why he would have legions of fangirls trailing after him, “Who is th-that?” she asked eventually, frustrated.

 

“Merlin, Dom-Dom, don't you get out?” Teddy asked in amazement.

 

“Is he s-someone important?” Dominique asked, ignoring him.

 

The waiter snorted doubtfully and said with a shrug. “Not really but he likes to think the entire world rises and falls with his breathing.” Dominique thought of her sister with a grimace, “you probably know him, he's supposedly a singer.”

 

Dominique didn't keep track of all the multiple singers or bands that went in and out of popularity among her cousins, despite really loving music. Her older cousin, Molly Weasley was usually the one who kept track of the latest Wizarding bands and singers, “She probably doesn't, haven't you ever heard of Twisted Duo?” Teddy asked her with an annoyed frown.

 

The name caused Dominique's face to twist because she didn't consider the wailing, screeching sounds that Twisted Duo made to be actual music. They were a really popular band and were fairly new, rising to an unparalleled fame with their carefully blended style of rock, rap and heavy metal but it was their raunchy lyrics and outrageous costumes that they were really known for. Only a handful of their songs had sounded decent to Dominique and they had still contained lewd lyrics that had made her blush. Molly was one of their more crazed fans but she knew that Victoire and a lot of Hogwarts students were currently fawning over everything they created, “Oh,” was all that she eventually said.

 

“From your face, I'm guessing you don't like their music either.” The waiter said, studying her with amusement. For a moment, his green eyes were bright and it caused his face to reach levels of handsomeness that made her stomach swoop again, “You've got good taste.”

 

A blush worked into her cheeks and Dominique fumbled for some sort of reply but found herself staring into his light eyes for too long. Embarrassed, she focused on picking up her fork and starting on her coconut pie, not missing the smirk Teddy sent her way, “So your names Luke or something right? I was at a Twisted Duo after party last night,” the blue-haired boy was saying charmingly.

 

“It's Logan, actually.” The waiter corrected with a roll of his eyes, as if people constantly forgot his name on a daily basis. Dominique was lost in heaven as she took a small bite of her pie, the flavors dancing on her tongue, “and if you're going to ask for my brother's address I can't help you, since I don't know it.”

 

Teddy's face fell a little at being corrected but he worked a friendly smile onto his face that made Dominique's skin prickle. “No, no, I don't need to know where he lives or anything. I'm no crazy fangirl like my cousin Molly,” he said with a shrug and Dominique didn't know why, but the fact that he had always claimed her family as his own had always irritated her.

 

It should have made her more sympathetic and understanding when Teddy's closest relative was Draco Malfoy. The thought of being related to such a notorious former Death Eater would have made anyone want to deny it and Dominique couldn't exactly blame him, though she knew from watching him that he had intense bitterness locked inside. Dominique wasn't certain if Teddy resented her family or not and she recalled some of his surly animosity thoughtfully. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny loved him very much and most of her other relatives were fond of him but that didn't seem to be enough, “My brother's always liked having attention, doesn't matter if it's a guy or a girl,” Logan replied to Teddy with a drawl.

 

Teddy's brows shot up a little at the slight insinuation. An arrogant grin spread over his face and he chuckled, though it came out forced, “Whoa, now, I'm only interested in attractive young women.” He made sure not to look at Dominique as he said that. “And I've met your brother, I don't think I'd be his type.”

 

“No, you wouldn't be but _you_ on the other hand would have to watch out.” Logan suddenly said to her with a teasing smile. Dominique's mouth had been full of coconut pie and she nearly choked, “my brother likes blondes, especially cute ones.”

 

Cute? Dominique's face, if possible, turned even brighter. People usually complimented her sister's looks and made polite attempts towards her and she had grown used to it, “I don't think she's got anything to worry about,” Teddy interrupted dryly.

 

“Isn't she your girlfriend?” Logan asked, though from his tone it was obvious that he highly doubted this possibility. Dominique watched as his eyes narrowed on Teddy, who merely sipped innocently from his latte, “well, regardless she's too cute for you anyway.”

 

Teddy spluttered. “Say what now?”

 

Dominique's face turned scarlet. “I-I'm really not his g-girlfriend or anything,” this wasn't a date or even a happy gathering between friends and she was suddenly reminded that Teddy was intending on blackmailing her as soon as he could.

 

Logan Rookwood seemed to puzzle over their connection and Dominique sensed that he was able to notice their obvious dislike of one another. “That's a relief.” He muttered but he suddenly seemed to remember that it wasn't proper to loiter over the customers and gave a short nod to them, “let me know if you need anything else.”

 

Dominique's eyes followed him curiously as he walked off, immediately catching a couple's attention before he could even go very far. For a moment she found herself studying him, wondering why he had been so friendly towards her, “I'm pretty sure he's taken, Dom-Dom,” Teddy's voice chimed in, bursting her bubble.

 

“I don't know w-what you're talking a-about,” Dominique's voice was a bit more defensive than she would have liked and she concentrated on eating the last of her pie. Teddy only smirked to himself in that infuriating way, “now t-that he's gone, what do you want to do about T-Toire?”

 

Teddy was smirking silently to himself and dabbed at a bit of cream with his tongue. The sight wasn't at all something she wanted to see but it made her stomach do another swoop, “I'm not going to tell if that's what you're really worried about.” Joy flooded into her. “Unless...”

 

Of course, Dominique thought furiously. He wouldn't just agree to something and make this easy on her, not when he had the evidence of making Victoire as miserable as possible, “W-what do you want? I have a little m-money,”she muttered, thinking of her meager savings and looking around to make sure no one was listening in.

 

The cafe was still bustling, still noisy and no one was really glancing their way. “I don't want your money, Dom-Dom.” Teddy replied calmly as he sipped more of his latte, looking briefly entranced with delight. It was a surprisingly unguarded moment, free of cunning and slyness and it oddly took her breath away, “I want you instead.”

 

Dominique's mind went momentarily blank but she felt her cheeks flaming in both embarrassment and wounded outrage. “You...w-what?” it was perhaps the most revolting thing that she had ever heard and that was saying something when she spent so much time with her Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey, who were known for being rather explicit.

 

“Oh, don't look so shocked at how low I can sink, Dom-Dom.” Teddy said dryly, unconcerned by how ludicrous the very idea was. “Honestly, you should know me better than that by now and I've got all sorts of ideas on how you can keep my mouth shut about Victoire's nasty little secret.” He seemed extremely pleased at the thought.

 

There had to be some way out of this. Dominique's mind had quickly begun working on a way to escape as soon as the words had left his lips and now wondered fiercely if it were possible. Despite the cafe being busy, she could toss her hot cappuccino into his face and use the commotion it caused to grab the pregnancy potion's kit and run out before he could catch her. If she made it as far as Uncle George's joke shop, made some sort of excuse for not being able to stay long and Flooed home, she might just make it before he managed to say anything. But this plan had its obvious flaws. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was quite a good distance from this cafe and no matter how hard she ran, she might not actually get there in time.

 

Teddy would most likely Apparate either to her home or catch her in the crowd and it would only anger him further. Depending on how despicable he was, he would probably make certain that her entire family and most of his Hogwarts friends knew of Victoire's secret by nightfall. “I can't believe that y-you would stoop s-so low,” Dominique's voice was trembling despite herself and she swallowed hard, desperate to be rid of it. Having a bit of fear would only cause him to laugh at her and his mocking smile was the last thing that she needed, “I..I'm not g-going to f-fool around with you j-just to keep h-her s-secret,” the words had been difficult to say but she managed to without crumbling.

 

Teddy stared at her with a confused expression, his brown eyes flashing in genuine surprise. He took another lingering sip from his latte before setting it down with a thunk, “Wait—you don't honestly think that I meant that did you? God, no!” he cried in obvious disgust.

 

The obvious rejection only caused Dominique's face to flush even deeper, even though she should have been breathless with relief. But some part of her was stung by the thought that she wasn't considered worthy enough for him, “T-then what did you m-mean?”

 

“Merlin, what sort of pervert do you take me for? I wouldn't be interested in a skinny little thing like you any day of the week!” Teddy said with as much loathing as he could and Dominique's face flushed at the hurtful words before she steeled herself, refusing to cry in front of him, “but it's actually not that bad of an idea...”

 

Dominique's blue eyes narrowed into warning slits. No matter what he said or what was on the line, she wasn't going to sink that low, not even for Victoire, “There's no way in hell so don't even think about it,” she snarled in a voice that she barely recognized as her own.

 

Teddy's eyes widened once more in surprise and he burst out laughing, so shocked by her words that he was obviously overcome. His laughter caught a bit of attention from the other customers and Dominique kicked him hard beneath the table, “That hurts you know!” he snapped when she kicked him a little harder. “Stop that you little terror, I get your point.”

 

“Then what do you w-want me to do?” Dominique asked him viciously, thinking of Victoire with growing agitation. This was probably her sister's worst nightmare and she wasn't certain which was worse, having her sister's life ruined and her family in an uproar or owing something to Teddy Remus Lupin, “if I do it, you h-have to keep your m-mouth shut about Toire, you can't tell anyone.”

 

Teddy was still smarting over her last kick and shot her a dark look before he schooled his features into a pleasant mask. It was a tad scary, like the devil offering her a tantalizing treat, “It's a deal then but in return for me keeping my mouth shut around everyone else...” he trailed away in an excited rush and Dominique felt a blast of unease.

 

“What?” Dominique pressed irritably.

 

An impishly sly look grew in Teddy's eyes as he replied calmly. “In exchange, you have to do whatever I say, whenever I say it.”

 

“Like a friend?” Dominique's mind was quickly conjuring images of herself trailing after him with a leash and bowing to his ever command. The thought of licking his boots or worse, spending more time with him despite her protests made her want to vomit, “or a pet?”

 

“I've always wanted a pet!” Teddy said with a delight and he settled back in his seat with a lazy little smirk, watching her curiously. “And this will be so much fun. You're not as bad as I first thought and I can't wait to see that look on Victoire's face after I'm done with you...” he trailed away thoughtfully.

 

 _After I'm done with you_... lingered unpleasantly in Dominique's mind, which was still in a jumble of disarray. There was no telling how long he intended for this blackmail to last but it had her wondering just what impending agony she had agreed to in order to save her sister.

 


	3. Blue-Haired Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dominique has settled her deal with Teddy Lupin but gets sucked into another trap sooner than she could have imagined.

“Sweet Merlin, look who it is!” Uncle George's surprised voice was ridiculously loud as he stared down at Dominique, the door to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes being held open gallantly. The sight of her uncle brought on a mixture of fondness and irritation but it was impossible to frown, not when his brown eyes twinkled so happily, “it's Dom-Dom and bless my wandering soul, you've captured Teddy!” he gasped, glancing over at the boy by her side.

 

The reminder that Dominique was in the company of Teddy Lupin only caused her teeth to gnash together. It had taken all of her might not to toss the remains of her French vanilla cappuccino into his grinning face at the cafe and even more of her patience had been used in order to stop herself from kicking him in the knee and running off. But after swearing her allegiance (She had no other word for it, really) to him in order to keep Victoire's secret safe, she had a feeling that she would be seeing much more of Teddy Lupin in the future. “Hullo, Uncle Georgie,” Teddy said just as joyfully, rocking back on his heels.

 

Dominique's mind drifted away as she watched her uncle and Teddy squeal and hug, embarrassed for the three of them. Then again, it was silly to be humiliated by Uncle George when she was currently standing outside the most famous joke shop in the country, where all sorts of nonsense and fun exploded, sang or popped. The structure of the joke shop had changed various times over the years and she glanced upwards to where other additions and haphazard chimneys sat, the entire thing being held together by magic. Uncle George and his friends had a bad habit, from what she had heard from Roxanne, of blowing up the place because of their experiments and new structures of the shop were constantly being altered, upgraded or re-built.

 

“What brings the two of of you here?” Uncle George asked curiously after he had gotten enough of Teddy for the moment. They had barely been near the door when he had opened it for them, apparently too delighted to wait for them to step inside, “I haven't seen you very much this summer.”

 

Dominique loved her uncle very much, he was her favorite next to Uncle Charlie and although she was fond of Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey, they were too much to handle everyday. It was sad that she hadn't been able to spend much time here at the joke shop this summer though, her parents weren't the type to visit very often, “I w-wanted to s-see R-Roxie and buy something for Louis,” she explained, keeping to her original cover story.

 

Although her parents had found it a little odd that she would want to go into Diagon Alley alone, they hadn't protested much when Dominique had said that she wanted to get Louis something. Dominique tended to spend more time with her twelve-year-old brother than anyone else in their house and he would welcome a new toy eagerly, “Ooh, I see.” Uncle George said in understanding, nodding his red head.

 

“He said a w-while b-back that he w-wants something th-that squirts,” Dominique explained to her uncle with a faint smile. Louis was going through a “messy” phase but running around on the beach or at the Burrow getting dirty was his favorite past time, “or o-oozes,”

 

Uncle George looked extremely proud that she would come all this way, even going so far as to blush and Teddy laughed. “Well, you've come to the right place for that, Dom. I've got things that will leave your mum's house dirty for a month,” a naughty gleam entered his eyes at that. “So what's Teddy doing with you?” he asked in confusion.

 

Teddy smiled broadly, showing off that blasted gold tooth as he did so and Dominique's eyes narrowed slightly. The thought of returning home with the pregnancy potion's kit without notifying him flashed through her mind but he had only given it back to her with the express warning that if she ran, he would ruin Victoire, “I met her on the way over, thought I'd come and see Fred.”

 

It was a smoothly crafted lie and Dominique's irritation with him spiked a little but she was grateful that he hadn't hinted at the truth. The pregnancy potion kit was currently in her backpack, which she'd slung on her shoulder but the weight of it made her unnaturally heavy, “Well, Freddie's back here helping me today but beautiful girl's not here,” Uncle George said to Dominique, referring to Roxanne with a sorrowful frown.

 

Dominique's smile slipped a little bit at the knowledge because it really would have been nice to spend time with Roxanne, who would have made it easy to put this day behind her. “W-where is she?” she asked her uncle, trying to think of how she would spend her time here before using their Floo and heading back home.

 

Uncle George pondered on the question for a minute and she glanced behind him and saw that the shop was swarming with customers taking in the brightly colored toys and trick sweets. “I think that she went off with Benjamin Malfoy for a while, she knocked me over as soon as she saw him standing outside,”

 

Teddy's brown eyes flared with dislike at the mention of Malfoy and Dominique was surprised that Roxanne's parents had allowed their friendship for so long. Her own parents would never have let she or Victoire near him, “Are you sure that you should have let her wander off with him?” he asked, reeking of distrust and causing Dominique to snort at the irony.

 

“Little Malfoy's never given me any problems, Teddy.” Uncle George said with a note of disapproval in his voice that made Teddy frown and look away. Dominique wasn't certain why he hated Malfoy but she had avoided him for years because he gave her the creeps, “he's a good enough kid and pretty polite, his dad's raising him right.”

 

Dominique's mind scrounged up what she knew of Draco Malfoy and found herself frowning in confusion at her uncle's words. It was a known fact in their family and most of the Wizarding world that he was a former Death Eater and his family's crimes weren't something to just forget, “If you say so,” was Teddy's dry reply.

 

“I think I'd know a bit but since beautiful girl's out blowing something up with little Malfoy, you two can come on in. Freddie's working but I think he'd like the company,” Uncle George informed them with a grin as he finally let them slip inside of the shop. A harassed looking cashier was currently dealing with at least ten people in line, most of them Hogwarts students, “Verity, you're doing a lovely job!” he called to her.

 

Verity, the cashier simply glared over at him through the sweaty locks of her blonde hair and Dominique wondered how long she had been on her feet. Uncle George appeared very amused by her haggard appearance but she didn't pay him anymore attention and went to dealing with the customers, who were jostling each other to get in line, “Where's Aunt Angie?” Teddy wanted to know as he looked around for any sign of the woman.

 

“Working late, sadly.” Uncle George said with a miserable expression and Dominique felt a brief moment of envy as she recalled how passionate they were. Teddy looked just as upset at this news but yelped as her uncle reached out and tugged on his ear, “that's where you should be you little demon, what're you doing slinking around Diagon Alley?”

 

Teddy was a tad shorter than Uncle George and groaned a little as his ear was yanked on again, the sight bringing Dominique a flood of pleasure. “Ow—I don't know what you're talking about!” he hissed, the fact that various customers were watching only causing him further distress.

 

Being the center of attention was something that both Teddy and Victoire thrived on and being made into a joke could possibly be their worst nightmare. Dominique found it fitting, “I heard that you were in Knockturn Alley at some party last night and a few days before that, you were causing a ruckus with your friends doing Merlin only knows what,” Uncle George said angrily, still tugging on his ear.

 

“This _hurts_ you know!” Teddy winced furiously but Uncle George only gave his ear another tug, looking far sterner than Dominique had ever seen him. After a moment, the boy eventually gave in as embarrassment and irritation got the best of him, “I got fired the other day and haven't had anything to do!” he grumbled.

 

Dominique's ears pricked curiously at this news but wasn't entirely surprised, wondering despite herself what he could have done to have gotten fired. Teddy Lupin seemed to bathe in trouble, “What did you do this time, Teddy?” Uncle George wanted to know, sounding extremely annoyed as the boy squirmed in pain, “Angie went out of her way to get you that job and Merlin knows you need one.”

 

“I don't think—ow, that I can say with Dom-Dom standing right here!” Teddy said around a wince and Uncle George's eyes narrowed in comprehension and disappointment. “I was actually coming by to talk to Auntie about it!”

 

That explained why Dominique had seen him in the apothecary earlier and why he had been so carefree in the cafe. When they had left, he'd tossed some Galleons on the table and she now wondered just how much that had cost him, “I swear, Teddy that you get into more mess than a troll.” Uncle George snapped after he let go.

 

“It's not like that, okay?” Teddy grumbled as he rubbed his ear, which had turned brilliantly red. They had caught a bit of attention from some of the customers but Dominique saw that most of them were wandering off to take in the joy of the shop, “it was a misunderstanding and honestly, she came on to _me_ , what was I supposed to do?”

 

Dominique wasn't able to piece together why he had gotten fired but it wasn't a shock that a woman had been involved. Uncle George glanced at her carefully before turning his gaze back on Teddy, his voice a little harsh, “Harry and Ginny spoil you and you're taking advantage of it. I'm going to send them an owl after me and Angie have a talk with you,” he informed gravely.

 

Teddy looked mollified as he stared at her uncle and Dominique wondered if it were all forced or if he truly felt sorry. Apparently, having the disapproval of her uncle mattered because his voice sounded for once, full of regret, “Yeah...okay.” Uncle George seemed to have forgotten about his bustling shop for the time being and nodded wearily, “where's Fred?”

 

“Back in the Wonder Witch section feeding those adorable little pygmy puffs and just as a warning, if I see either of you using them for Bludger practice again, I'll spank you.” Uncle George warned gravely and Dominique wasn't certain of this since she had rarely seen him fuss at his own children. Teddy adopted an angelic expression, “it's a shame what you did with Vicky's,”

 

Dominique had to fight the urge to slap Teddy across the face as he roared with laughter, apparently finding that incident to be hilarious. Years ago, he and Fred had used Victoire's precious pygmy puff, Roger, for Bludger practice and the only thing she could remember was little bits of pink fur flying in all directions, “It wasn't my idea,” Teddy lied.

 

“ _Suuuure_ it wasn't and your Aunt Hermione hates freshly pressed parchment.” Uncle George said dryly as he gave Teddy a light thump on the forehead. Even if he had annoyed him, Dominique was able to see that he couldn't stay angry and it was baffling, “but I'm serious. Don't kill any of my pygmy puffs,”

 

Teddy appeared put out but bowed so low that his blue hair nearly touched the floor and a few customers clapped in awe. Dominique rolled her eyes, “I won't dare lay a finger on the adorably fluffy specimens. I swear on my life.”

 

Uncle George laughed and slapped him fondly on the back before ushering him away, Dominique unable to ignore the little sneer Teddy sent her way before he disappeared. “Why don't you look around the shop for something that you want to get for Louis, Dom? No charge,” her uncle said to her with a warm smile.

 

Dominique's mouth hung open at the thought that he was going to let her take something for free and she shook her head. “I c-can't just t-take something without p-paying,” it wouldn't be right. “M-Mum and Papa won't like it.”

 

“Oh, please, I let Bill take a box of some of my best fireworks just last week.” Uncle George said to her with a dismissive wave of his hand. Dominique knew that he was notorious for spoiling them all despite their parent's protests but didn't seem to mind or care, “go on and get something for your brother and a little treat for yourself.”

 

It would be like Christmas and Dominique was suddenly interested in being completely selfish and getting whatever she wanted. After all, she had gone through quite a bit with Teddy and she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to have even an ounce of fun in the future, “Are you s-sure? I could p-pay you back,” Dominique tried to reason.

 

Uncle George bent and patted her tenderly on the head and she stared up at him questionably. She couldn't even remember the last time her own father had paid attention to her like this, “It's not a problem, Dom. Your uncle just wants to see a smile from you,” before she could say anything, he had already started walking away, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

 

Dominique wasn't sure what he had meant by that but she inhaled deeply and decided to enjoy a few minutes in the shop, which seemed to flood with joy. Colors of every shade and bold displays of various trick sweets, toys and rare merchandise were everywhere and she knew that the shop had two more floors filled with unimaginable trinkets but she decided to stay on the ground floor, nearly forgetting about her troubles as she perused the shelves. Today had not at all gone as planned and she wasn't certain what she would do if Victoire's secret were known and hoped that whatever deal that she had struck with Teddy would be enough to keep his mouth shut.

 

Dominique's apprehension threatened to grow as she considered what he might have her do for him in the next few days, or even in the next hour if he felt like it. The images swimming in her brain made her uneasy but perhaps there would be a way out of this if Victoire turned out not to be pregnant but even if she wasn't, Teddy could still blackmail her. He would point out that a fourteen-year-old girl shouldn't have been buying a pregnancy potion kit in the first place. It would be a good tactic, one that would surely trap her and Dominique found herself gnawing uncertainly on her lower lip. She wished furiously that she had never gotten mixed up in Victoire's lies and Teddy Lupin's schemes, confused just now on why she hadn't said no to her sister but the image of her sister crying uncontrollably flashed through her mind.

 

Something like sympathy swam in Dominique's heart but she pushed it aside, wondering if Victoire's tears had even been real when she had been fooled before. Becoming a famous ballerina was her sister's dream but Dominique was certain that she would make a much better actress with some of the lies that she was able to spin, all with such a lovely little smile on her face. The possibility that her sister might have manipulated her once again nearly took root but Dominique was certain that Victoire wouldn't lie about the fact that she might be expecting. It would only cause more problems for her and that was something her sister wouldn't risk but she pushed that thought aside, wondering how on earth she would be able to slip away without Teddy noticing.

 

Dominique paused thoughtfully in front of a shelf flooded with trick sweets. They were wrapped in colorful paper with silly titles that Louis would most likely love and she smiled a little, wondering just what she should get him. Pus and Stuff sounded promising and Dominique was reaching up to take it from the second shelf when she overheard Teddy's familiar drawl. “...slept with her in her office but how the hell was I supposed to know that her husband was paying a surprise visit?”

 

A blush worked into Dominique's cheeks at the words, both from embarrassment and outrage at Teddy's depravity. Quickly taking a packet of Pus and Stuff from the shelf and pressing it to her side, she glanced around uneasily before spotting Teddy and Fred standing behind a few racks of comic books and a large display of fake wands. Dominique looked around but didn't see that anyone else had wandered over to this side of the shop and, thinking that she was doing something that was completely out of character, she crept closer to the boys. “I was wondering why you weren't working but honestly, mate, what did you think was going to happen?” it was Fred's rational voice and she stole a quick peek at her older cousin.

 

Fred Weasley the second was almost an identical replica of his father, though his skin was a deep brown and his dark hair tended to wave no matter how short he cut it. Dominique's unease faded away just a little, Fred wasn't nearly as bad as Teddy, “She told me that they were getting a divorce and honestly, I don't think she mentioned once that they were trying to work it out,” Teddy was saying sourly to his friend.

 

“I bet she tried but you were probably too busy undressing her,” Fred said with what could only be an exasperated sigh, Dominique watching as he patted his friend on the back. She frowned, thinking that he didn't deserve to have be the one getting any comfort, “only you would mess around with someone that was already married at your job and get fired.”

 

Teddy snorted nastily and Dominique's eyes caught his hands going through his blue hair irritably, as if the entire world was against him. “If marriage is supposed to make people so bloody happy, then why the hell are so many wives having affairs?” he shot back and Fred stared at him, mouth opening to form some sort of reply. “I don't need to mention all the needy wives I've run into.”

 

Fred's response was crisp. “Please, don't.”

 

“Your parents are going to fuss at me later and then after that, Uncle Harry is going to fuss when he gets your dad's owl so I won't be stopping by there for a while.” Teddy was saying annoyingly and Fred adopted a sympathetic expression. Apparently the boys had finished pestering the pygmy puffs and were using this opportunity to catch up, “and after that I have the pleasure of knowing that my Gran is going to yell at me.”

 

Fred shook his head and folded his arms over his chest and Dominique noted that he wasn't dressed in the shop's maroon robes. Uncle George had been wearing them but his son didn't seem to take his part-time job as seriously or was just about to quit for the day, “Look, Ted, you can't blame anyone else but yourself.” He laughed.

 

“It's not funny! Have you ever seen my Gran angry? It's like you know, right as you meet her eyes that you may not live for much longer,” Teddy complained as he ran his fingers through his blue hair once again. It gave him the appearance of some badly dressed artist and Dominique scowled, “I swear, it was just one mistake.”

 

Dominique didn't think that sleeping with a married woman should have even counted as just a “mistake” and from the way he had been talking, it hadn't been his first. Did Teddy Lupin actually think before he did anything? He was like a walking, uncaring disaster, “I've seen your Gran angry but seriously, my mum fussing at you won't be any better.” Fred warned his friend and Teddy groaned loudly.

 

“No offense, Freddie but I'd rather have an outrageously beautiful woman yelling at me than my Gran any day,” Teddy laughed and his friend made a face. Dominique's eyes narrowed in sharp annoyance, wondering how he could possibly find any joy in this situation, “and you won't believe who I met today, you're going to lose your head.”

 

Fred snorted disbelievingly. “You already have,” he paused before adding in with a little nudge that made Dominique's brow furrow, “for both of us.” And while she wasn't quite sure what it meant, the fact that Teddy laughed lewdly didn't bode well.

 

“It's not about that, git. You remember how I went to that Twisted Duo after party last night?” when Fred nodded, looking a bit more interested, Teddy went on to inform smugly. “Well, today while I was out I actually met Kieran Rookwood's younger brother.”

 

Dominique's skin went cold at the words and she wondered what Teddy would tell his friend, sensing that they probably didn't hide much from one another. Predictably, Fred sounded both awed and incredibly jealous of his friend's luck, “What, where'd you meet him? I didn't even know that Kieran Rookwood had a brother, Molly will lose her shit when I tell her.” He said smugly and Dominique had a feeling that Logan Rookwood would not appreciate this at all, “she's a huge fan of Twisted Duo.”

 

“I actually happened to go into this shitty cafe where he works.” Teddy said importantly as he gave his friend a rough punch in the arm that had Fred groaning with envy, “I didn't believe it at first and if he hadn't have been so busy ogling Dom-Dom—”

 

“Dom-Dom?” Fred's envy quickly evaporated into curiosity and Dominique's blood went cold and shifted behind the rack of comic books. It would be humiliating if the two of them spotted her but she felt lucky that they hadn't noticed her so far, “ _our_ Dom-Dom?” he asked. “What were you doing with her, was Toire with her?”

 

Teddy shivered dramatically at the sound of her sister's name and she watched him rub his arms as if the touch of death had descended upon him. “Ooh, don't say her name out loud or she'll appear!” Fred roared with laughter, “I just so happened to bump into Dom in an apothecary and bullied her into having a little snack with me.”

 

Dominique's panic lessened at the lie and she wondered what he was thinking in not relating anything to Fred but was secretly relieved. “What was she doing in an apothecary? She's too little to be wandering around Diagon Alley,” Fred said, sounding as if he had been worried that she would be kidnapped the moment she walked into the street.

 

“That monster is fourteen, Freddie, not two.” Teddy replied dryly and Fred shrugged and was nudged in the arm a little as the blue-haired devil chortled. “Not every girl is like Roxie you know, Dom-Dom wouldn't run off with Malfoy or anything.”

 

Fred's face turned incredibly sour at the words and he shoved Teddy's consoling hand off of his shoulder with more force than necessary. “I hate that prat and I hate that I can't do anything about it. I don't know what Roxie sees in him.”

 

“Me neither,” Teddy said coolly.

 

“Well, technically he is your cousin—”

 

“Don't ever say that again! I don't want to be related to that piece of shit!” Teddy snapped and the note of anger in his voice, no matter if Fred's words had been teasing, were enough for the other boy to raise his brows. Dominique's body had gone stiff, “...you want to know about Kieran Rookwood's brother or not?”

 

Fred took a moment or two to answer and when he did, his voice was very gentle, as if he were trying to sooth a rabid dog. “Yeah, all right, sorry.” He said and Teddy apparently smiled at him because her cousin's face began to relax, “but tell me how you convinced Dom to go to a cafe with you, everyone knows she hates you.”

 

“Trust me, it wasn't the greatest time of my life either but I figured I'd give her a break. Honestly, she never talks and when she does she always stutters—can you believe that she still gets mad about that thing with the pigs?” Teddy asked in outrage and Dominique's blue eyes narrowed in fury at his nerve to laugh at her expense. Fred looked a little more understanding and when he didn't join in, his friend snorted, “don't tell me you blame me for that too?”

 

Fred nodded brusquely and Teddy stared at him in disbelief and moved away, causing Dominique to gasp in panic and shift sideways. When she was certain that the boys wouldn't be able to spot her, she peeked over the rack of comics again, swallowing, “Well, it was your fault and she was really little. I can't blame her for holding a grudge against you.” Her cousin was saying.

 

Teddy made a strange sound, as if he were holding in a curse and a laugh at the same time and Dominique's dislike of him grew. “But she makes it sound like I'm the reason she stutters and can't get a life,” he said cruelly.

 

“Don't be such an asshole, Teddy, its why people don't like you.” Fred warned and Dominique glowed happily and heard Teddy grunt something in response. “Oh, did Dom-Dom tell you that too? Well, she'd be right, mate. If I were you, I'd try to be a bit nicer to her,”

 

Teddy was quiet for a minute or two and Dominique's hope that he may just find some sort of heart and call off his blackmail was dashed instantly. “I'll be nicer to her all right,” she heard him mutter and the words made her stiffen, a wild blush tearing into her cheeks at his strange tone, “and anyway, Kieran Rookwood's brother was actually different from how I thought he'd be.”

 

Dominique's heart was still pounding and she wondered if Teddy were going to do something horrible, like kiss her in public. But then she had to remember that that had been the last thing on his mind when they had been in the cafe and wasn't certain why she some part of her was disappointed, “What was he like then?” Fred asked his friend, forgetting about his question on how she had wound up in a cafe with Teddy in the first place.

 

“Sarcastic and pretty boring, actually, I didn't really like him.” Teddy informed his friend with a careless shrug of his shoulders as Fred stared at him in surprise. “He and his brother look a lot alike but he doesn't really care about Kieran's music or anything, I get the feeling they don't talk much,” he said, proud to be the bearer of this news.

 

Dominique had logged the encounter with Logan Rookwood into her mind, knowing that she would probably never see him again. Those light green eyes and smile would have to last her for a long time and she sighed wistfully, surprising herself, “That's still pretty something though, what did Dom think of him?” Fred asked with a laugh. “I hardly see her talking to boys, if ever.”

 

Teddy seemed irritated to have her being brought up in the conversation again and Dominique felt the same. It was one thing to be teased at Hogwarts but she didn't like having Fred so curious about how their little interlude at the cafe had gone, he might start asking more questions about it, “It was hilarious, she got all googly-eyed like she'd never seen a boy before.”

 

“Aw, that's cute.” Fred laughed.

 

Teddy's voice contained an obvious sneer. “I told her that he was probably taken and honestly, Dom-Dom's not even that cute and she wasn't fawning over me. Hell, I know that I'm pretty damn sexy,” he said haughtily and Fred roared with laughter.

 

Dominique's jaw dropped and she wasn't certain what she was more upset about; the fact that Teddy Lupin had just called her unattractive (Again) or the fact that he obviously thought that he was attractive. Although she had never thought of anything like this before, she wondered just how he would behave if she was as beautiful as Victoire and some part of her longed to get the chance to toss her looks in his smug face.

 

“Dom-Dom, what are you doing hiding behind here? If it's something you're not supposed to be doing, I want in,” a new voice piped curiously behind her and Dominique shrieked in alarm and knocked into the rack of comic books with a clang!

 

The rack wobbled a little before crashing on the display case of trick wands, creating a much larger mess and making both Teddy and Fred jump. “What the hell?” Fred asked as comic books flew in every direction and the case of trick wands rocked unsteadily, “this is going to leave a mess.”

 

Teddy had already taken out his wand and because he was seventeen, he wouldn't get into trouble about using his magic. The noise hadn't really attracted any curious eyes but Dominique's heart was pounding furiously, as if it might leap out of her chest at any moment, “I'll handle it,” the blue-haired demon said to his friend with a shrug.

 

“Merlin, Dom, I didn't mean to scare you that bad.” Roxanne Weasley said worriedly as Dominique's hand reached out towards a nearby shelf to steady herself. Her cousin had been bending down to better get in on the action but straightened and smoothed out her pink Weasley's Wizard Wheezes t-shirt, “you all right?”

 

“Roxie!” Dominique managed to gasp and Roxanne merely laughed at her outraged expression. “You s-scared m-me!” she said as she let go of the shelf and ignored the fact that Fred was staring at her in growing comprehension as Teddy continued to clean up the mess, “but I'm o-okay,”

 

Roxanne tilted her head curiously, lips twitching in obvious amusement and although she was younger than Dominique by a year, they had always gotten along well. Her cousin looked very cute with her curly brown hair in a high ponytail, “You looked like you were about to have a heart attack or something.”

 

Dominique let out a sigh but knew that admitting to spying on Teddy and Fred's conversation would not be a good idea. Teddy had finished cleaning up the mess and was straightening out the rack of comics but he shot her a dirty look that Fred didn't seem to notice, “You j-just surprised me.”

 

“Oh, well I'm sorry but what were you doing?” Roxanne wanted to know and she turned her attention to her brother and his best friend skeptically. “I'm sure these two weren't talking about anything all that interesting,” she said with a grin and her brother stuck his tongue out at her, “they were probably talking about boobs and all that other gross stuff.”

 

Fred laughed at his baby sister fondly and walked over to the pair of them, slinging an arm over Roxanne's shoulders. “And what would you know about that all that anyway?” he asked her teasingly and she pointedly ignored him, “you'd better not be talking about that sort of stuff with Malfoy or I'll beat the shit out of the git,”

 

“Ben and I don't talk about that kind of stuff and he's got lots of girlfriends, prat.” Roxanne instantly defended, though Dominique saw how much that last part bothered her. Quickly, she masked her emotions and said to her brother haughtily, “and what we talk about is none of your business so you've got no right trying to beat him up.”

 

Dominique had seen Benjamin Malfoy more than once at Hogwarts and knew from the way he seemed to act that beating him up would not be easy. But that didn't mean she wouldn't be privately rooting for her cousin if a fight between them broke out, “When are you going to stop hanging around that prat, he's too old for you,” Teddy said as he sidled up at Dominique's side.

 

Roxanne glared at the two boys, placing her hands on her hips and Dominique wondered just what her relationship with Malfoy was. “Why? You want him for _yourself_ , Teddy?” she spat.

 

“He's too dark and brooding for me, little sis.” Teddy said lazily and Roxanne rolled her eyes heavenward. Dominique shifted away from him but he reached out and snatched her upper arm playfully, though he added a bit of pressure that made her flinch, “now, if he were as cute as Dom-Dom, I'd reconsider.”

 

That was a backhanded compliment and Dominique glared up at him, knowing that he was obviously pointing out that he wouldn't ignore her eavesdropping. Roxanne pursed her lips sourly, “You two are just being stupid when it comes to Ben. He's not that bad and he's not at all like everyone says,” she said hotly.

 

“I heard he ate a baby unicorn last year,” Fred said.

 

Teddy added lightly. “Yeah, and Miranda Patil said that he has fangs but we're not going to talk about how she figured that out,” Dominique's face turned scarlet and Roxanne's became furious.

 

“He is nothing like that and Miranda Patil has a big mouth!” Roxanne snapped, shoving her brother away from her and looking as if she might just punch Teddy in the face. Dominique hoped that she would, even though she agreed with the boys about Malfoy, “you two just need to get over yourselves, Ben was never the _bully_!”

 

Dominique's eyes widened a little at the force behind the words and watched as Teddy and Fred exchanged a strange, knowing look. “R-Roxie, maybe you sh-should calm down..” she insisted, worried and a bit uncomfortable over the fact that she looked near tears, “Malfoy's r-really not someone you should be h-hanging around with.”

 

Roxanne's face turned incredulous and even a bit hurt that she wasn't on her side. “Not you too, Dom!” when Fred tried to soothe her, she shoved him off and ran away, saying very heatedly over her shoulder, “don't any of you talk to me ever again!”

 

“Oi, Roxie, come back here!” Fred snapped and he gave Teddy and Dominique an apologetic look before dashing off after his furious younger sister, leaving the two of them alone. “Stop being so moody!” he shouted at Roxanne's retreating figure.

 

Before Dominique could summon up the power to escape herself, Teddy squeezed her upper arm and she was forced to meet his flashing brown eyes. “We're going to have a talk Dom on what happens when you're caught eavesdropping.” A very sneaky look formed on his face, “think of it as your first test and if you fuck up, just know that I'm not joking.” Dominique gave a stiff nod, hating that Victoire's fate had created an uncertain one for herself.

 


	4. Transparent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dominique is put to the test but she soon realizes that there might be something more to Teddy, even if its nothing she wants to see.

“I can't d-do it,” Dominique murmured weakly several minutes later as she looked into the bright, cunning eyes of Teddy Lupin, her chest pounding like a drum. A furious blush was working into her cheeks and she was quivering with embarrassment, “you c-can't be s-serious.”

 

Teddy raised his blue brows questionably, as if he were having difficulty accepting the words even though she knew he was furious. The bustling confines of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes continued to boom, pop and sing around them as customers busied themselves with their shopping, taking no real notice of the two of them, huddled together like thieves.

 

“You obviously don't know me well, Dom,” the blue-haired devil murmured lightly, though his eyes were flashing. Dominique's stomach clenched painfully, “you're the one that got yourself into this situation and if you don't do as I tell you, your parents are going to find out a lot more about your slutty sister than they want.”

 

Dominique bit down on her tongue to stop herself from retorting a slew of vicious words and looked away from him. Teddy Remus Lupin was a cruel, nasty bully and he was punishing her for eavesdropping on a conversation that he had been having with her older cousin, Fred Weasley..but what he wanted out of her was too humiliating.

 

Victoire's secret had to remain between the two of them or else their family would be ruined and Teddy would be far too interested in making certain that half the population of Hogwarts knew that her sister might be pregnant. There was no way out...she had agreed to do whatever he wanted but she couldn't sink so low, “So I'm assuming from your silence that you're going to decline?”Teddy snapped angrily, snatching her out of her tumbling thoughts.

 

For a moment, Dominique thought of turning around and running from the shop but Teddy had a rather tight grip on her upper arm. He had snatched it when Roxanne and Fred had been too preoccupied in arguing earlier and while it may have appeared teasing then, she could feel the power going through him and knew she wouldn't stand a chance. “It's h-humiliating...I c-can't.”

 

“Maybe you should go ahead and do it...it'll be like ripping off a leech.” Teddy said with a mean smile, his expression one of deepest amusement. Dominique's chest tightened with anger at his nerve but she knew that talking back to him would do her little good, “you shouldn't have been spying on my conversation with Freddie, it had nothing to do with you.”

 

Although some of what he was saying was true, Dominique hadn't been able to stop herself from listening, the insight into his reckless life impossible to resist. Teddy had recently been fired from the Ministry for being caught with a married woman in her office but she felt no sympathy for him when she had overheard him clearly stating that he was somehow the victim. “Y-you were t-talking about me,” she snapped angrily, glaring at him.

 

Teddy shrugged his shoulders lightly and in that moment, Dominique's temper nearly got the best of her and she almost kneed him in the crouch. “So? Freddie wanted to know what I was doing with you, since everyone knows how much you can't stand me for that thing with the pigs,” he said, scowling slightly over the words.

 

Dominique's body tensed at the reminder that he had played a very cruel trick on her when she had been younger and had never apologized. The nasty incident with the pigs still made a childish fear erupt inside of her but Teddy had always made her wary and had always done whatever he could to embarrass her...he found her stutter entertaining. “Y-you're a prat,”

 

That earned a wry laugh from Teddy that didn't sound offended at all and Dominique was more than aware that he had been told this far too often. “I am what I am,” he said lightly, as if he were willing to go into a long rant over his own attributes and flaws, “what's funny about people is that they always try to change me when there's nothing to be done.”

 

There was something about the words that made some part of Dominique feel a twinge, as if they were coming from a private place that he rarely revealed. Teddy hadn't changed very much from when he had been younger and she recalled his behavior at the cafe in Diagon Alley..he had been cruel, manipulative and intent on pointing out painful, uncomfortable truths. The fact that Dominique had gotten so hurt by some of his words still rankled and his obvious contempt for her lack of beauty still stung. But Logan Rookwood, the waiter at the cafe had looked at her as if she were actually cute, which was something that rarely ever happened once someone ever bothered to take a real look at her and for just a moment she had felt attractive.

 

“You don't h-have to be th-this way, you c-can...try to be s-something better,” Dominique found herself saying tightly, looking closely up at him with a frown. Teddy had never been particularly handsome to her but she studied him closely, thinking that without the wild blue hair and faux punk clothing, he would look almost normal but she dismissed the thought quickly.

 

Uncle Charlie said the same for diseased dragons.

 

Teddy's brown eyes flashed curiously at the words and he glanced away from her as if she had touched on something rather unpleasant. But when he flicked his gaze back to hers, a nasty little smile was forming on his lips, “Like the waiter you were gawping at in the cafe?” his voice was low and almost friendly and she knew that he was enjoying himself.

 

Dominique blinked rapidly, snapping out of her reverie. “W-what?”

 

“You know the one...Kieran Rookwood's brother.” Teddy clarified lightly, using his free hand to wave dismissively over his shoulder. It was apparent that he found the boy to be of no real significance even though he was related to a famous rock star, “he's a prime example of fighting for his dreams and discovering himself,” he drawled, sarcasm dripping from his tongue.

 

A flush of indignation went through Dominique's blood and she glared up at him and watched as a smirk widened on his face. The fact that his grandmother had always taken such good care of him had never seemed to matter to him and she knew that even though he didn't have a job right now, he could always crawl back to her if he wanted. “Th-there's nothing wrong with him,” he started angrily before saying awkwardly as she blushed, “he doesn't want to be t-treated special just b-because his brother is f-famous.”

 

Teddy snorted dryly as he stared down at her and even though Dominique was rather tall, he still towered over her by several feet. “Don't get yourself all fired up because of what I said about that waiter...Luke or whatever his name was,” he said with a keen stare, enjoying the flush working into her cheeks. “It's not like he'd be interested in you.”

 

The image of Logan Rookwood's kind smile and light green eyes flashed through Dominique's mind like a hurricane and she felt her cheeks flame even harder. Teddy's words had hurt but she refused to let him see her cry over the fact that someone like that would never date her, “His name is Logan,” she said bitingly.

 

“Oooh,” Teddy said in a jeeringly sweet voice, his brown eyes rolling heavenward as if she had said something especially silly. Dominique swallowed tightly and pushed the image of Logan Rookwood into the back of her mind, she would probably never even see him again, “you must have gotten a little crush on him, Dom but I hope you don't honestly think he'd notice you?”

 

Misery flooded into Dominique's system but she tried to reason with herself rationally, she would probably never see the boy again regardless. And it wasn't as if they had shared some sort of moment...he wouldn't even remember her in a few days, “Don't try to m-make me feel bad just b-because Logan w-wasn't impressed by you,” she snarled.

 

Teddy frowned at the words and she saw a muscle tick in his jaw that spoke of just how much Logan's lack of interest in him had rankled. The fact that he had always prided himself on being popular and able to charm everyone around him had always brought him pride and Dominique suspected that he had only been trying to get Logan into introducing him to his brother.

 

“Ouch,” Teddy pouted, lower lip jutting out childishly. An odd flush had worked into his cheeks and she felt that her suspicions had proved correct and the fact that he hadn't gotten what he'd wanted only irritated him, “just for that I want that apology you owe me now,”

 

Dominique had nearly forgotten about his punishment and felt herself shuddering at the thought of doing something so embarrassing. “You don't h-honestly expect me t-to do th-that!” she cried almost desperately, her eyes feeling as if they might pop, “t-there are p-people everywhere!” even as the words flew out, a gang of children ran past.

 

The little imps were running from an alarmingly huge teddy bear as it shot sparks of blue glitter out of a toy wand. Dominique watched the cuddly thing as it waddled past and was briefly showered in glitter when it spotted the pair of them watching it before continuing its hunt for the children, “I want one...” Teddy said with a wistful sigh, his voice oddly innocent.

 

It was a strange contrast and Dominique stared up at him in confusion, wondering how he could appear to be so cruel one minute and then almost child like the next. Apparently there were a few things about Teddy Lupin that were a mystery and she wondered what sort of things he might be hiding underneath his snarky exterior before shaking the thought off, it was probably nothing she wanted to know.

 

Teddy allowed himself to stay enraptured over the teddy bear for a few more seconds before flicking his gaze back down to her. That odd moment of innocent she had heard in his voice was gone as he said in a warning growl, “Do it, Dom. I don't think I have to remind you of the consequences either,” when she hesitated, he raised his brows threateningly. “Or do I?”

 

Dominique's stomach roiled with disgust but she gave a consenting nod and was relieved when he finally released her upper arm. The thought of quickly bolting away from him shot through her mind immediately but his legs were longer and it wouldn't take him long to catch up with her and it would be ruin Victoire's future and she would never forgive herself, “Fine,” she snapped.

 

“Less attitude and more groveling,” Teddy retorted with a smug smile as he lifted one of his hands for her to take, a few rings glittering mockingly on his fingers. Dominique's stomach continued to roil but she took his larger hand in her own, unnerved by how rough his skin was, “make sure you sound sincere or I'll make you keep doing it until you get it right.”

 

The thought of being punished more than once and being subjected to his mercy made Dominique grit her teeth. Embarrassingly, she looked around to make sure that they hadn't caught anyone's attention but no one paid them a glance and she was relieved that Uncle George was nowhere to be seen. “I hate you,” she mumbled, getting down on one knee.

 

Teddy peered down at her with a superior expression and Dominique shot him one last glare from the veil of her pale blonde hair before pressing her lips to his knuckles. The urgent need to vomit was almost instantaneous but she managed to hold it firmly in her throat, wondering how long he would want her to stay like this, “This is just too sweet of you, Dom.”

 

Dominique bristled.

 

A pleasured smile was in his voice when Teddy asked tauntingly, jerking his hand under her mouth and causing one of his rings to slice her lower lip. “And what do we say...?” pain was lashing through her but she forced herself not to make a sound, even though the idea of cursing or sinking her teeth into the very center of his palm was flashing brightly in her mind.

 

“I'm s-sorry Teddy for eavesdropping on you, it'll never h-happen again.” Dominique gritted out furiously, hoping that her voice held the proper amount of simpering truth. The frilly skirt that she wore did very little to protect her knees from the rough maroon carpet and bowing down to him like this was making her feel both furious, humiliated and vulnerable. “I beg for your f-forgiveness.”

 

The words may as well have been ripped from the pit of Dominique's throat and Teddy roared with laughter, finding this all too amusing. When she looked up at him, barely able to keep her footing as she wobbled uncertainly on her knee, he said in a haughty tone, “I bet you do,” and she had to keep herself from snarling. “Stay down there for a minute and think about what you've done.”

 

Dominique felt her spine stiffen indignantly at the command and she must have made some sort of noise because he only chuckled smugly. Someday, she was going to wipe that disgusting smirk off his face...she could see the flash of his blasted gold tooth when she dared to look up, “I said that I was sorry,” she said in a tight voice, hearing a tremor in her words.

 

“No need to start crying, Dom.” Teddy replied with a satisfied smirk as he stared down at her, kneeling down at his feet. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes continued to pulse and pound with noise but Dominique's mind was so wrapped up in her anger at the predicament that Victoire's selfishness had brought her into that she could barely hear a thing. “Get up.”

 

It took a moment for Dominique to register the words and she shakily rose to her feet and slapped his hand away, rubbing her mouth. There was a dull sting in her lower lip from when his ring had cut her but Teddy didn't appear to notice, his brown eyes were flashing and running over her with a look that made her feel stripped bare, “Why are you l-looking at me like that?”

 

Teddy tilted his blue head curiously as if he were studying something that was both perplexing and too tempting to leave alone. Dominique's cheeks flamed as he reached out to run his thumb over her lower lip, wiping away a bit of blood that she hadn't felt, “You weren't stuttering when you said you were sorry, I think that's really interesting...don't you?”

 

Dominique's blood was pounding from that one fleeting touch and she felt that amazing sense that she would vomit. Even her stomach bubbled dangerously and her heart was fluttering in a way that was usually only caused when she was on a broomstick, fearing for her life, “No, I d-don't,” she lied furiously, shifting away from him.

 

“Don't be such a shrew, Dom.” Teddy drawled as he surveyed his thumb curiously before raising it to his mouth and licking away her blood with a casual flick of his tongue. It was perhaps the most revolting thing that she had ever seen but oddly sensuous, as if he were tasting her skin, “now, as for what I need you to do for me—”

 

“W-what?!”

 

“You didn't think that was it did you? I wanted an apology for you being a sneaky little worm but your first test as my pet hasn't even started yet,” Teddy informed her with a calculating expression in his eyes that made her recoil. Dominique was so furious and embarrassed that she could barely think straight and she watched him lick his thumb again, “so, listen up...”

 

Dominique's heart was pounding rapidly and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her hands around his throat and strangle him. Teddy Lupin was a demon! He probably found all of this nothing but a big game—nothing he did ever bothered him, he didn't care about sleeping with married women or being an inconsiderate git...he was just a walking, uncaring monster. She hated him.

 

“What are the two of you doing over here?” Fred's voice suddenly asked, startling the pair of them and causing Dominique's entire body to jolt with relief. Teddy let out a soft curse as he turned around to survey the worried expression on his best friend's face, “is something the matter?”

 

Teddy draped an arm casually around Dominique's shoulders, his weight causing her to nearly stumble with both shock and disgust. “Nothing, Freddie.” He said with a bright, engaging smile that would have fooled her if she hadn't known any better, “we were just talking about the latest fashionable robes that have hit the shelves in Madame Malkin's.”

 

“I prefer Twilfit and Tattings,” Fred said.

 

Teddy gasped as if he had said something unholy. “How dare you say such a thing! I was thinking of getting a delicious ivory set myself that Twilfit and Tattings would never be able to produce on this amazing form.” He bragged, making a grand gesture to his body with a sensual growl.

 

Fred roared with laughter before adopting a rather husky voice that made Dominique glance between them irritably, confused by how unfortunate her luck was. “You know it doesn't matter to me what you wear, Teddy.”

 

“You spoil me,” Teddy simpered, batting his eyelashes flirtatiously.

 

Fred let out an incredulous laugh at the explanation but Dominique saw that his brown eyes were now taking in her pale face closely. “Forever and always,” he replied and Teddy roared with laughter while her stomach roiled, “sorry it took me so long to come back but I had to cool down after talking to Roxie, it was worse than I thought.”

 

“What did she d-do?” Dominique asked worriedly, shrinking from underneath Teddy's heavy arm and moving towards her cousin. Fred's eyes narrowed slightly at the action and he shot his best friend a curious glance that may as well have been chipped from ice, “did you f-fight really b-bad?”

 

Teddy sneered, ignoring her cousin's look. “Over Malfoy? Of course they did,”

 

“Roxie practically clawed my face off and that was the kindest threat she offered,” Fred grumbled irritably, looking as if he had barely escaped with his life. “I haven't seen her that mad in ages, I can't stand having a teenage sister in the house, a dragon would be welcome, trust me.” He said wearily, heaving a very dramatic sigh.

 

The words only caused Teddy's mouth to stiffen and Dominique wondered if he were thinking of the family he could have had. Both of his parents had died during the War and she wondered if he longed for siblings of his own, “She's a girl, everything is going to make her upset,” he said wisely to his friend, grinning at her rather meanly. “Isn't that right, Dom?”

 

Dominique tensed with anger and shifted a bit closer to Fred, who seemed to have caught on to the subtle tension between them. He placed a steadying hand on her shoulder and she felt a burst of relief that sank into the very center of her chest, “Women are complicated creatures, Teddy. Unlocking their secrets would take at least thirty books, a novella and possibly help from God,” Fred responded seriously, reducing Teddy to more laughter.

 

“We're not th-that c-complicated,” Dominique muttered annoyingly.

 

Fred shrugged his shoulders helplessly, as if he were certain that he would be immune to the answers and knowledge that would help him with the female creature. “Roxie alone needs ten books to understand what's bothering her.” He grinned at her disbelieving frown, “you'll probably have an easier time talking to her than I will, Dom,”

 

Dominique doubted if her younger cousin would be interested or inclined to listen to her opinion when it came to how she felt about Benjamin Malfoy. The fact that Roxanne would most likely continue associating with him was something that she knew wouldn't be stopped because of her, “I don't t-think it would really m-matter...”she mumbled uneasily.

 

“I think that she'd rather talk to you,” Fred reassured her with a soft smile, giving her shoulder a rough pat that made her frown all the more. “You probably know all about boys and she could probably use your advice—shut up Teddy,” he snapped annoyingly as his friend burst out laughing at the words, holding his side.

 

Teddy stifled his laughter with his hand, though his shoulders were shaking uncontrollably and making Dominique's blood boil. That hideous gold tooth was flashing and winking at her and she wanted nothing more than to take her fist and punch him as hard as she could, “Sorry, sorry, I thought you were joking.” He eventually gasped, snickering.

 

Fred shot him a warning look that quickly subdued him before he turned back to Dominique, who was feeling the awful sting of painful tears. Her cousin wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started leading her away from the older boy, his warmth both startling and familiar, “Ignore Teddy, you know how he is. But are you all right? I saw the way he was looking at you when I came up and I'll talk to him for you if he said anything,”

 

The protective note in his voice warmed Dominique considerably and she was reminded of just how kind her older cousin could be. Despite having Teddy Lupin as a best friend, Fred retained more decency than she would have thought possible, “N-no...he was j-just being his usual, aggravating self, Freddie. Don't go t-to the t-trouble.”

 

They were walking by a few shelves piled high with products that ranged from trick sweets to Decoy Detonators and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. “No, I'll talk to him for you Dom if you want me to, I know that you and Teddy have never liked each other,” Fred said firmly, though there was a bit of awkwardness in his voice. “Ever since that thing with the pigs—”

 

“I know,” Dominique interrupted hastily, not wanting to think about that day with the pigs or the fact that Teddy still found no reason to lay claim to the prank. “But I kn-know that you and T-Teddy are best fr-friends, it wouldn't be right of me to come b-between th-that,” she mumbled, unable to look up at him as she said the words.

 

Fred's face was impossible to read for a minute but he stopped walking and gave her chin a playful nudge, forcing Dominique's head up. There was a concerned look in his brown eyes that made him look so eerily like his father that it almost made her uneasy, “Look, Dom. I love Teddy, he's always been like a brother to me but you're my cousin and I love you too—don't look at me like that, its the truth! he cried with a laugh as she wrinkled her nose. “If you need me, I'm here.”

 

Dominique's cheeks flushed at the declaration and she pushed his hand away from her chin awkwardly, unsure what to say. The need to tell him about what Victoire had gotten her into and how Teddy was currently blackmailing her flashed tantalizingly to her mind but she knew that it needed to remain a secret, the less people knew, the better. “Th-thanks, Fred but I-I'm okay. Teddy's just n-never liked me, I can always t-tell that I annoy him,”

 

“I honestly think that he just doesn't know what to make of you, Dom and it just comes out in the wrong way.” Fred surprised her further by saying, a frown marring his face. When she stared at him questionably, he explained calmly, “I'm not saying that Teddy can't be an asshole or anything but I've always sort of felt that you made him nervous.”

 

The words were so ridiculous that Dominique let out a slight laugh before she saw that her cousin wasn't joking. Her momentary glee drifted away quickly, “How would I make h-him nervous?” Teddy had the sort of attitude that reeked of selfishness and he seemed to thrive on nothing more than his ability to be both confident and aware that he didn't deserve anyone's sympathy.

 

Fred hesitated for a moment but she saw something flickering in his eyes that caused Dominique's eyes to sharpen rather keenly. The two boys were best friends and she didn't find it doubtful that they had secrets between them that they would never share with anyone else, “...You have a way of looking at people that can be sort of uncomfortable, like you're seeing through them.”

 

“I don't have—”

 

“Dom, I know it can't be easy growing up with someone like Victoire but that doesn't make you any less of a person just because of what people say.” Fred interrupted her firmly, his voice laced with both sincerity and what she prayed wasn't pity, “you have a way of really looking at people and seeing them for what they are, someone like Teddy would immediately be freaked out.”

 

Confusion whirled through Dominique's mind at the words and she stared up at her cousin wordlessly, wondering what he could possibly mean. Being constantly overshadowed by Victoire had caused her to grow far more comfortable being ignored than she should have been but she didn't think that it would have given her anything worth noticing, “I don't know w-what you mean,” she said, frustrated.

 

Fred gave her a sympathetic look and reached out to tug playfully on a lock of her pale blonde hair, the action making her jerk in surprised laughter. “Don't worry about it, just don't let what anyone says about you keep you down. I know what it feels like always being compared to someone that you'll never be able to beat,” he said, almost too softly for her to hear.

 

Dominique's body tensed slightly at the words, understanding that he meant Uncle Fred. It had to be difficult to carry his name with so many memories of him still being told by their family but she had never had him voice this concern before, “Fred—”

 

“I'm going to go back and bother Teddy, you can go up and talk to Roxie if you want, just try not to mention anything about Malfoy and you should be fine.” Fred interrupted smoothly, as if his feelings for their dead uncle were never to be spoken of, “knowing Roxie, she'll probably wind up telling you what's bothering her without too much trouble.”

 

Thinking that the likelihood of Roxanne wanting to see her would be rather slim, Dominique gave a short nod and watched her cousin wander off, humming. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was as bright as ever, laughter and boisterous conversation seeming to explode from every corner but for just a moment that joy had faded away when she had heard the miserable resolution in Fred's voice.

 

Dominique may have to suffer with constantly being ignored for Victoire's accomplishments and perfections but she suddenly felt a burst of empathy for him. It couldn't be easy being compared to a dead man.

 

~*~

 

“I don't see why it's such a big deal in the first place, its never bothered me.” Roxanne's surly voice complained to Dominique as she sat cross legged on her bed, a large pink pillow being squished unmercifully in her arms. “Benjamin and I are just friends and it's really none of Perce's business if I talk to him or not!”

 

Dominique's mouth opened to reply but she forced herself to remain quiet as she surveyed her cousin from her perch on the other end of the mattress. It had been more than a surprise to her when Roxanne had practically yanked her inside the confines of her bedroom on the first timid knock, all of her earlier anger forgotten when she had burst into tears. Alarmed and confused by the array of emotion, Dominique had managed to soothe her long enough to gauge that her argument with Fred had gone terribly.

 

Roxanne was usually a very spirited and happy girl and to see her so miserable was oddly like watching the sun lose all its shine and for the last half an hour, she had been listening to her younger cousin rant. There had been very rare times in Dominique's memory of going into Victoire's room and Roxanne's was vastly different from the messy affair of Lucy's. The walls were painted pink and a pretty pale blue while Quidditch posters were plastered on every other inch of available space, showing that the supreme girlishness of the room weren't the only things her cousin had to offer.

 

A closet had been thrown open carelessly and she caught sight of a few cute tops and jeans spread helplessly on the bottom. Roxanne's Hogwarts trunk was stuffed carelessly in the corner while her Hufflepuff robes and Quidditch gear were stacked more neatly on a spindly chair that seemed ready to collapse from all the extra weight, “Perce and Teddy have never even bothered to try and talk to Benjamin because if they did, they would see how good of a person he is!” Roxanne raged.

 

Dominique had always been rather curious as to why she had always referred to her brother by his middle name instead of his real one. But then she decided that saying Frederick Percival Weasley the Second could be quite the mouthful, “Erm...”

 

“Don't say it!” Roxanne said warningly, raising a hand to stall her. Dominique shifted uneasily on her plush covers, seeing frilly white sheets underneath that almost had her smiling, her cousin may be a teenager but she was still clinging to childhood, “I know Ben's a Malfoy but that's no reason to treat him so badly!”

 

Benjamin Malfoy may be a member of one of the most hated families in the Wizarding world but Dominique knew that even if he hadn't been, it wouldn't have made a difference. There was something very unlikable about the creature and she wasn't certain if Roxanne wanted to hear it, “I wasn't g-going to s-say th-that,”

 

Roxanne scowled at her irritably and rested her chin on her pink pillow, looking so much like a furious version of her mother that it made Dominique's skin chill. There was a puffy quality to her eyes that was unmistakable and her lips were set in a ridiculous pout, “Then what were you going to say? That you agree with my brother like everyone else?”

 

That's exactly what she would have said but Dominique forced the words down in fear that she would have her face ripped off. “I just don't see what you l-like so m-much about M-Malfoy,” the boy had never ceased to give her the creeps and she made sure that she stayed as far away from the Slytherin as she possibly could when they happened to cross paths.

 

“Ben's...” Roxanne's face took on a slightly dreamy quality that caused a burst of alarm and revulsion to go through Dominique's body. Shaking the expression off, her cousin said more clearly, “he's not a bad guy at all, we've always been together, since we were kids. I don't think anyone would be able to understand him like I do,”

 

Dominique blinked in surprise at the words and felt a curious mixture of annoyance and jealousy that she couldn't quite place. “H-how long have you kn-known him?” she pressed.

 

Roxanne's cheeks turned pink. “Since I was ten, Ben's two years older than me.”

 

“And w-what do you l-like about him?” Dominique asked doubtfully, unconvinced of Benjamin Malfoy's allure.

 

A wide smile began to spread over Roxanne's face and for a moment she looked as if she had never shed a single tear. The effect was like being cast in a rainbow and Dominique shifted uncomfortably again, “Ben can calm me down better than anyone. I can talk to him about _anything_ and he never treats me like a baby or pushes me aside when he's busy like Perce does sometimes,” she replied softly.

 

“So he's l-like another b-brother to you?” Dominique asked hopefully.

 

Roxanne wrinkled her nose a little and for some strange reason, her cheeks turned violently red and she spluttered hastily. “I don't think of Ben like a _brother_!” Dominique raised her brows at her a little and watched her squish the pillow in her arms more tightly, “he's just my friend, it doesn't matter to me that all the older girls talk about how good-looking he is...” she trailed off uneasily, unable to meet Dominique's eyes.

 

Dominique had heard a few rumors about Malfoy but she had never wondered if they were true or not, sensing that it was pointless to question. “The f-fact that his f-family did so many bad things d-doesn't bother you or a-anything?” she couldn't imagine facing such scorn and didn't understand how her cousin could pretend otherwise.

 

Their own grandmother had fought and killed Bellatrix Lestrange, who would be Benjamin Malfoy's great-aunt if she thought about it more clearly. And despite how much the thought made her sick, Roxanne's strange companion was also Teddy Lupin's cousin... “I don't care about all of those things, I know what the Malfoy's did in the past but that's not who they are now.” Roxanne replied firmly. “I've met his parents and they're really nice.”

 

“Are they?” Dominique asked doubtfully.

 

Roxanne rolled her eyes. “Why does everyone think that Mr. Malfoy chews on brimstone? He's probably the saddest person you'll ever meet and Ben's mum is so nice...none of that stuff matters anyway, people don't even care that Ben's adopted.”

 

This was a surprise for Dominique, though she might have heard someone in their family mentioning this more than once. She might have been too engrossed in one of her books to notice though, “I'd heard that he was a-adopted...”

 

“Yeah, he doesn't like to talk about it much. But people don't care that he's adopted because he's a Malfoy and people say nasty things about me too, since I'll never look like you or the others,” Roxanne surprised her by saying, her tone suddenly cold. “It's unfair and cruel.”

 

Dominique frowned at the words and felt a prickle of anger at anyone who had made such ignorant comments about her cousins. Molly and Lucy Weasley were half Chinese and they seemed to get more than their share of cruelty as well, even though it had never mattered to anyone else, “You f-feel like you c-can connect with him b-because of th-that?” she asked, knowing it was true.

 

Roxanne nodded and there was a sad smile on her face that seemed to dim the entire room for a few seconds before she smiled again, though it seemed far away. “Not just that...there's always just been something about him,” she murmured gently, turning pinker and pinker even while Dominique felt a burst of disapproval, “he really sees me.”

 

Dominique blinked in surprise at the words and was suddenly reminded of what Fred had told her downstairs and wondered if what Roxanne spoke of was the same thing. What would it mean to have someone really see her? The thought of finding herself in a blinding, everlasting love or being forced to admit to some connection to another person was both alarming and intoxicating.

 

The only friend that she seemed to have was Lucy and she couldn't imagine growing past her own fears to create a bond with someone else. _“Are you going to keep blaming everyone else for your problems forever, Dom-Dom?”_ Teddy's drawling voice invaded her mind so suddenly that Dominique was both disturbed and sickened to hear the familiar rhythm of his words.

 

“Are you all right, Dom?” Roxanne asked worriedly, snapping out of her own thoughts of Benjamin Malfoy and noticing her stricken face. Dominique shot her a wan smile, “I'm sorry that you had to listen to me bitch about Ben for so long, I just get tired of people always getting on my case about it, even my parents don't complain as much as everyone else.”

 

Uncle George and his wife were probably the kindest people that Dominique would ever know and she felt that they would forgive even the worst criminal if it were possible. And there was very little that they would deny their children if it would make them happy, “I'm fine, its not that.” She assured her younger cousin, smiling more broadly, “I was just th-thinking.”

 

Roxanne shook her head at her fondly, as if she couldn't imagine sitting around and thinking about the meaningless matters of life when time continued moving forward. “You Ravenclaws are always so brainy, your heads should be twice as big,” she teased, making an estimation with her hands that was simply outrageous.

 

“And Hufflepuffs see the g-good in e-everyone, right?” Dominique countered with a laugh as her cousin continued to expand her head. “I wish there was some good to see in T-Teddy.” Immediately, she covered her mouth, wondering why he kept intruding in her mind.

 

Blinking, Roxanne lowered her hands and stared at her curiously, her eyes dancing with both curiosity and disdain. “What were you doing here with Teddy, of all people?” her cousin asked curiously. “He's the last person that I'd think you would want to be around,” she whispered and before Dominique could answer, she groused, “he's such a flaming prat, isn't he?”

 

Dominique nodded savagely. “He is...”

 

“I know there's some good in him somewhere but you'll have to look real far and scrape away the bullshit and snarky attitude to get to it.” Roxanne replied dryly, causing her to laugh. A door opened and the sound of voices rumbled through the flat but Dominique hardly noticed, “did you guys just happen to see each other at a shop or something?”

 

 _More like blackmailed_ , Dominique thought bitterly. “Erm...s-something like that.”

 

Roxanne nodded in acceptance at her explanation, looking incredibly innocent. “Wow, it's just so funny how everyone's bumping into each other like this, huh?” Dominique gave her a quizzical look and her cousin waved an airy hand around, “I actually ran into a friend of mine—”

 

The bedroom door opened with a resounding clang that caused both girls to jump in surprise, Roxanne letting out a snarl of outrage as Teddy leaned carelessly against the door frame, saying lazily. “I'm sorry to interrupt the thrilling discussion on what you think boy's look like naked but your parents are here and we,” he turned his blue-haired head in Dominique's direction slowly. “Have been invited for dinner.”

 

“Ooh, who asked you to barge in here, Teddy?!” Roxanne snapped furiously, hopping off her bed and tossing her pink pillow at him. Dominique watched as the boy merely ducked, Uncle George letting out a howl of surprise in the hall as the pillow hit him instead, “I bet it was Perce, the _git_ ,” she grumbled irritably as she walked towards the door.

 

Dominique watched her younger cousin stomping over to the older boy as if he weren't the most infuriating person that had ever existed. “When are you ever going to start calling Fred by his real name, little sis?” Teddy asked shrewdly, reaching out to thump Roxanne's forehead with all the skill of a proper bully.

 

Roxanne glared up at him irritably, rubbing at her forehead. “When are you going to stop being an insufferable git Teddy?” she countered back sharply before shoving him out of her way and stomping down the hall, her ponytail bouncing.

 

Teddy rubbed his arm where the girl had punched him and Dominique took very little pleasure in the action as she made her way across the room. “Not so fast,” he said sharply before she could venture out into the hall, his fingers clasping firmly around her wrist, “we have something to discuss.”

 

Dominique glanced warily around but the stretch of hallway was deserted now and she could hear the familiar voices of her relatives. The thick, intoxicating scents of fried food drifted lazily to her nostrils and she knew that dinner with them would be far more exciting than the dull affair she would have had back at home, “What do you w-want me t-to do?” she asked with weary anger.

 

“Lose the attitude, Dom.” Teddy warned gravely and Dominique forced her lips to become a foreboding line as he leaned his shoulder casually against the door frame. “Your first test as my pet is going to have to require you to tell a lie but not just any lie, but one that's going to get you to where I need you to be. Do you think you can handle that, Dom?”

 

Dominique was confused on what he was asking of her and wondered what sort of lie he wanted her to tell. It made her incredibly uncomfortable, “What exactly do I have to l-lie about, Teddy?” she asked in a low whisper, afraid that Roxanne or the others might somehow overhear the conversation.

 

“I need you to lie to your parents about where you're going to be in two days and you know what'll happen if you fuck it up.” Teddy replied calmly, taking immense pleasure in her confusion.

 

“What?” Dominique croaked.

 

Teddy shrugged carelessly. “Lying to your parents and sneaking out of the house is completely unlike you...its the perfect test to see just how loyal you're willing to be.”

 

Dominique stared up at him in horror. “I'm not sure I can do something like th-that...”

 

Teddy's brown eyes flashed darkly and it was clear that he wasn't willing to give her a chance to change her mind. “I don't think I need to remind you of the consequences, Dom.” At her stricken expression, his tone gentled to a purr, “so is that a yes?” Dominique managed to give a short nod, even as every inch of her was rebelling at the thought that he was getting his way and that she would be left tainted, a liar and more miserable than she'd ever been.


	5. SIster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped between Teddy Lupin's blackmail and her sister's lies, Dominique isn't certain which direction to turn and when she learns the truth about Victoire's secret, nothing is the same again.

“It was really good seeing you today, you should stop hiding from us and come visit a lot more often, Dominique.” Aunt Angie was saying gently as Dominique stood near the fireplace in their cramped living room, her relative's familiar features sinking into her marrow. Her brown skin and kind smile were completely different from the disinterested air around her mother, “I could always use a new face around here.”

 

Dominique felt her cheeks flushing a bit in embarrassment as Aunt Angie kissed her cheeks with exaggerated smacks. The evening had passed by in an enjoyable blur of laughter, fried food and playful bickering and she was somewhat reluctant to go home, “What's that supposed to mean, Angie?” Uncle George asked in outrage from the dining table, pausing over a stack of dirty plates he'd been piling.

 

Fred and Roxanne were bickering about who would be washing the dishes later and Dominique tried not to notice the way Teddy was sneering at her from the armchair. He had been unusually subdued during dinner and from the expressions that had flashed from Aunt Angie and her husband's face, it was obvious that their talk with him would be far from pleasant, “You know I love you Georgie but you're not as young as you used to be.” Aunt Angie shot back teasingly.

 

“That's not what you said last night,” Uncle George shot back just as teasingly, though his eyes were caressing. Fred gagged and Roxanne groaned in humiliation, “I'm not going to do that thing you like so much once we're naked, slippery and—”

 

“Uncle George!” Teddy's face had blanched with horror while Dominique's cheeks flamed, her parents never talked so openly about their romantic life. They hardly ever kissed one another in front of them, “my innocent ears can't take this!” Fred burst out laughing while Roxanne rolled her eyes, perhaps finding the word “innocent” a joke.

 

“Devil,” “rogue” and “terror” suited him better and Dominique glanced witheringly at Teddy but felt her face flooding with color when he briefly returned her stare. There was something so nasty and calculating about it that she wanted to hide underneath her bed, she couldn't stand what he would be making her do. She bitterly knew that there was no way that she could protect Victoire without doing as she was told.

 

“Teddy, I think you stopped being innocent the day you were born.” Roxanne said dryly as her father handed her a few dirty dishes. She grumpily walked over to the sink, ignoring the frown that crossed the beasts features and her mother's warning look, “or maybe in the womb.”

 

Aunt Angie turned away from Dominique and said sharply, shooting her husband a brief look of irritation as he glanced away. “Don't you start with that attitude again Roxie!” her daughter frowned at her as if she were deeply betrayed, “that's not nice to say about Teddy and I expect an apology out of you right now.”

 

Dominique knew that the absence of his parent's had caused some scars for Teddy and she found herself glancing closely at his face. Aside from a bitter frown, there was no sign that the words had deeply troubled him but she sensed that they had and was uncomfortably aware of the brief flash of innocence he'd shown downstairs in the joke shop.

 

Teddy Lupin seemed to be a walking disaster and a peculiar contradiction and Dominique wasn't certain what was real and what was a mirage. But then again, she didn't want to waste too much of her time dwelling on someone that was blackmailing her,

 

“ _Sorry_ , Teddy.” Roxanne said with a sour twist to her mouth, looking anything but.

 

“That's all right little sis.” Teddy replied with a quick flash of a smile, his gold tooth winking at Dominique mockingly. One day, she swore that she would find some sort of spell to get rid of the blasted thing, it was simply grotesque, “if I were Malfoy, I'm sure you'd be going out of your way to be nice to me.”

 

Uncle George's face was both amused and laced with a warning, the instant mention of Malfoy causing Roxanne's face to flood with defensive anger. Fred shifted moodily on his feet, “Teddy, I've told you more than once that little Malfoy has never given us any problems, especially with Roxanne. I don't want to hear anything else about it,” she heard her uncle say, his tone firm.

 

Dominique watched Roxanne's smile turn very satisfied but Teddy looked sickened, his face becoming far more cruel than she had ever seen it. Although she didn't hold any affection for Benjamin Malfoy, she couldn't quite understand why he and Fred seemed to hate him so much, the boy always appeared to be nothing but gentle with Roxanne, no matter how much she disapproved.

 

“ _He really sees me,”_ Roxanne's words seemed to come back to her in a lilting echo and Dominique felt that strange bite of longing and fear. For a few seconds she conjured the image of Logan Rookwood's light green eyes and deep red hair, her heart swelling foolishly at the thought that someone like him would ever be interested in someone like her.

 

“I just don't understand what's so great about that nasty little monster,” the blue-haired demon sneered.

 

Roxanne's face turned murderous and she placed her hands on her hips, reminding Dominique of their grandmother. It was a horrifying comparison, “I'll tell you who the monster is here, Teddy.” There was something in her tone that caused Fred and his best friend to exchange a glance, Uncle George appearing at a loss on how to calm his daughter's anger. “And it's _never_ been Ben,

 

Teddy's face flushed a bit and Dominique snapped out of her own thoughts to glance at the boy once more, hating that he seemed to keep creeping up on her senses. Aunt Angie interrupted what might have become a furious argument between the two with just a look and the atmosphere in the flat seemed to stabilize immediately, “Enough.” The woman said firmly, “I don't want to hear anything else about Benjamin Malfoy.”

 

“But Auntie—” Teddy started, indignant.

 

“Don't forget that we still need to have a talk with you, Teddy Remus. It wouldn't be smart to make it worse than its going to get,” Aunt Angie reminded heavily. Roxanne looked as if she might start to glow with happiness but her mother shot her a stern, warning look, “and Roxanne, this is going to be my last time telling you to watch your attitude, do you hear me?”

 

Roxanne sulked, folding her arms. “Yes, Mum,” she muttered.

 

Teddy opened his mouth as if he might have something to say about that but Aunt Angie raised her brows questionably, daring him to disobey her and he paled slightly. Dominique knew that from watching her other cousins get into trouble that she gave the worst spankings next to Aunt Ginny and it wouldn't be wise to test her, “Behave, Teddy, you have no idea how upset I am with you right now.”

 

The older boy looked as if he would rather jump into the nearest viper filled pit than be reminded and Dominique couldn't help but entertain the thought. In two days she would be expected to lie to her parents for him and she felt her stomach twist, unable to take any joy in being away from him for such a short time, “Are you going to owl my Gran?” Teddy asked grumpily.

 

“Trust me, I'm sure Harry and Ginny already have.” Uncle George replied and she saw that there was a deep look of disappointment on his face. Teddy's cheeks flushed and it was apparent that he held her uncle very highly, though an apology for his actions would be ridiculous to assume, “but we're not going to talk about that right now.”

 

Dominique noticed that her uncle was glancing at his daughter as he said this and realized that they weren't going to tell Roxanne how Teddy had recently lost a job that Aunt Angie had gone out of her way to get him. The boy had been caught having sex in a married woman's office but she was surprised by the lack of empathy on Fred's face, sensing that he thought his friend was as reckless as she did, “I should be h-heading home. M-mum and Papa are pr-probably wondering why I'm late.”

 

Teddy smirked slightly at the thought and she felt something nasty flooding into her chest, it was highly unlikely that her parents even noticed her absence. “It's all right, Dom. I sent a letter to Bill before I closed up the shop, you're not going to get into any sort of trouble,” Uncle George explained kindly, waving away her concern.

 

A bit of relief went down Dominique's spine and she wondered if Victoire were wondering why she hadn't come back sooner. It had been her idea to stop by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes before going home after all but she probably hadn't expected the visit to drag on this long and it wouldn't be smart to waste much time here, no matter if she did enjoy her relative's company. “I sh-should pr-probably get going anyway.” Dominique muttered, catching the curious look that crossed her uncle's face. He had been staring at her with a rather worried expression during dinner and she hoped that he wouldn't ask what was bothering her, it would just be another reminder of what her own father didn't do, “I'll try to come b-back soon th-though with Louis.”

 

Aunt Angie appeared delighted by the idea and she reached over and gave her cheek a playful pinch that made her laugh. Teddy scowled in sharp annoyance, “I haven't seen Louis in ages. Make sure that you do, Dominique, it'll be really nice to see Victoire too, even though I know she's probably busy—”

 

“Eating the souls of the damned?” Teddy asked dryly.

 

Fred snorted with laughter.

 

“The only soul she wants is yours, Teddy. Like always,” Roxanne teased and Dominique was thankful that she appeared mollified, her cheerful smile appearing once again. She watched as the girl skulked closer to her father's side. Teddy shot her an annoyed glare, “you two should just get married already, Witch Weekly says that opposites attract!”

 

Teddy looked revolted by the very idea and Dominique couldn't help but wonder why her sister hated him so deeply. It seemed to go beyond just his attitude, “I'd rather eat a bowl of hot dragon sh—I mean, there's no way, little sis. You don't know what you're talking about!” he retorted hastily, glancing warily at her aunt.

 

“Didn't you know that beautiful girl is an expert at romance?” Uncle George asked slyly while Fred sent his friend a pitying look. Dominique didn't think he deserved it before she remembered that being alone with Victoire wasn't a death she would wish on anyone, “she's just like her beloved father.”

 

Roxanne beamed proudly and Aunt Angie heaved a weary sigh, looking between the two of them with fond irritation. “George, I swear to Merlin that you have got her too spoiled,” but her eyes were warm, causing Dominique to think that they had argued over this more than once.

 

Fred seemed pleased, his chest poking out. “That's what I've been saying for the longest!”

 

“Shut up, Perce!” Roxanne snapped as she draped her arms over their father's shoulders and kissed his cheek lovingly. Aunt Angie rolled her eyes as Dominique watched Uncle George turn into a puddle of goo, completely at their daughter's mercy, “and Mum, I'll have you know that Daddy doesn't spoil me nearly enough!” she huffed.

 

Aunt Angie looked completely disbelieving at this and while Dominique knew that they didn't allow their children to get away with everything, it was obvious that both of her cousins were incredibly spoiled. “Don't you start trying to weasel something out of him again, Roxie. You know he can't resist how cute you are and I don't want to get jealous,” she warned, her voice stern.

 

Uncle George glowered at his wife but laughed as Roxanne kissed his cheek again and floated away towards her brother, who was rolling his eyes. “Angie, you know I've loved you since I was eleven years old, right?” he reminded his wife cheekily, causing her to flush a bit. Dominique stared in amazement, at both the words and her aunt's embarrassment, “there's never been anyone else.”

 

“What about all those girls that you dated at Hogwarts you prat?” Aunt Angie reminded with a laugh, shaking her fist at him. Uncle George looked innocently away and for a moment he appeared to resemble his son rather strongly, “I remember the way you used to be, skipping around with all those beautiful women.”

 

Teddy smirked unpleasantly as he ran his eyes over Dominique and she blushed angrily, knowing that he found her highly lacking. Annoyed and furious that he would make his distaste so open, she shifted her backpack on her shoulders, hearing the pregnancy potion kit shifting, “I'm sure they weren't as beautiful as you, Auntie.” He simpered.

 

Fred groaned and pinched Roxanne on the cheek until their mother shot him a warning look. After giving his sister a look of promise, Dominique heard him say chillingly, “Don't get them started, Teddy or they'll never come out of their bedroom. They'll forget to feed us and everything if they really get riled up,” he said, shuddering.

 

Uncle George roared with laughter but Dominique noticed that his wife didn't seem very against the idea and bit her tongue to hold in her own laugh. “Angie, you know that those girls were nothing but practice until I worked up the courage to offer my soul to you.” Their children gagged loudly, “and if you're trying to make me feel guilty, what about all the boys you dated at Hogwarts?”

 

“Mum, how could you?” Roxanne asked, surprised.

 

Aunt Angie snorted with laughter before tossing a lock of her brown curls over her shoulder, a haughty expression on her face. Dominique admired the simple state of her pale green work robes, thinking it was completely different from some of the outlandish ones that she was used to seeing her mother wearing, “Look, Roxie, your father wasn't giving me what I so desperately needed.”

 

“Angie!” Uncle George cried, aghast.

 

Teddy snorted with laughter as Aunt Angie winked at her husband in a flirtatious way, as if they were still eighteen. Dominique thought it was nice that they seemed to still hold onto their memories of when they had been young, she couldn't quite imagine them not being together though, “And anyway, you were so jealous of this one guy I dated that it hardly mattered.” Aunt Angie drawled smugly.

 

Uncle George's cheeks turned a bit pink and he slumped rather childishly into his seat. A pout was working into his face and Dominique glanced at Roxanne in amusement, knowing who she had taken that characteristic from, “He wasn't good enough for you and was a lot better looking than me.”

 

“He was not!” Aunt Angie cried with a laugh, waving the words away. Her husband sent her a dry look and she quickly coughed into her fist, “well, I'll admit that Terrence Shepard did have the most amazing pair of buns that I'd ever seen in my life.” Teddy and Fred roared with laughter. “Lee tried bouncing a Galleon off his right butt cheek and you won't believe how far it flew—”

 

“MUM!” Roxanne cried as she flung her arms up and nearly smacked her brother in the face. It was difficult to hold in her laughter and Dominique clapped a hand over her mouth, “no one wants to know about some other blokes fantastic rear end!”

 

“I do,” Teddy laughed as he slouched a bit more in the armchair, looking both incredibly at ease and somehow tense. Dominique felt his eyes on her for a minute or two and their nasty bargain flashed between them, though it made her want to scream when she caught his lips twitching smugly, “did it leave a crack in the wall, Auntie?”

 

Aunt Angie thought about it while her husband continued to sulk, even going so far as to turn his nose up at her when she cooed at him. “No, but it did break a window.” At that, they all roared with laughter and she glanced slyly at her husband, her tone turning husky, “but I was never going to be into anyone so long as Georgie was haunting my dreams.”

 

“I can always remind you of some of those dreams if you want, Angie.” Uncle George replied silkily, batting his eyelashes at her. Fred looked as if he were dying and Roxanne had gone to staring blankly at the floor as if she longed for it to swallow her whole, “but I won't be nice about it.”

 

“You tease.” Aunt Angie purred, her eyes sparkling.

 

Fred pretended to vomit and Roxanne stopped staring longingly into the floor long enough to glower at both of their parents warningly. “Would you two knock it off for once?!” she cried as Dominique uncomfortably looked away from the sultry smiles that they were giving each other, “you're scaring the company!”

 

That caused both of her parents to roar with laughter and Dominique couldn't help but compare them to her own. Although she knew that they loved one another very much, she couldn't quite remember her father or mother teasing one another in this way, there was always something so controlled and frozen about them, “I'm used to it. Uncle P-Percy and Aunt Audrey are a lot w-worse.” She murmured truthfully.

 

“We're not trying hard enough to embarrass you if that's true, Dom.” Uncle George laughed as a flash of challenge entered his eyes. Roxanne sent him a pleading look before her father angled his head at Teddy's sulking form, “but we don't have time to really make you blush tonight since we're going to fuss at that blue-haired thing over there.”

 

Dominique glanced at Teddy briefly before catching onto the slight dismissal and had to stop herself from hooting with joy. For two days she wouldn't have to be anywhere near him but she knew that she would be worrying about the lie that he wanted her to tell during his absence, “Well, I'll see all of y-you later t-then.” She replied, biting back her worry.

 

Roxanne wandered over and hugged her tightly, giving her a gentle peck on the cheek before releasing her with a sigh. Uncle George was making Fred wash the dishes, ignoring his complaints that he could do it a lot faster if he weren't being lazy and use magic, “Please come back soon. I'm going to be so bored and I'll invite Molly over sometime too,” she said happily.

 

“All right,” Dominique replied awkwardly, happy to be included. Molly Weasley was her younger cousin's best friend and even though they were the same age, they had never been very close, they didn't have many things in common, “I'll try to c-come back in the next f-few days then,” she tried not to look at Teddy as she said this.

 

Happy at the idea of having her own private party, Roxanne beamed and gave her one last tight hug before floating over to her mother. “Did you hear that, Mum?” there was a wide smile on her face, as if her greatest wish were somehow coming true, “you're going to have to reign in your dirty stories when Molly comes over, she gets traumatized enough at home,” she looked incredibly smug as she said this.

 

Aunt Angie laughed and reached out to pinch her cheeks, looking extremely devilish. It wasn't the sort of look that Dominique's own mother would have ever worn, “That's not enough to stop me and you know it. Your dad and I are going to traumatize all three of you,” her husband made some sort of delighted response just as Roxanne groaned miserably, though she was trying very hard not to laugh.

 

Roxanne opened her mouth to make some sort of protest but her mother had wrapped her up in a warm embrace and was smothering her cheeks in kisses. Teddy watched the affectionate display with a curious expression while Dominique tried to bite down on the bit of jealousy that was worming in her stomach, “Are you sure you don't want me to Apparate you home, Dominique?” Uncle George asked suddenly.

 

Side-Along Apparition was a nightmare and Dominique felt her stomach swirling at the thought of how much she loathed it. Ignoring the sight of his wife and daughter pinching and wrestling playfully with one another, she nodded reassuringly, “No, I-I don't like it much. I'd r-rather go by F-Floo,” it was a bit bumpy, but she had never vomited because of it.

 

Uncle George gave a short nod and was about to say something more but his son had flung a bit of soapy dish water at him. He was instantly distracted, “Fred, you fiend!” he cried immediately, leaping from his chair as if he were about to do serious damage but only going so far as to splash water over his son, crowing with laughter. The playful antics between them made Dominique both uncomfortable and envious and she suddenly wanted to be alone without having to notice how different her family was from theirs.

 

Teddy was watching her closely, as if he had somehow read her mind and a mockingly ugly smile was forming over his lips but she steadfastly ignored him. She went to the fireplace mantle and rummaged around for the bowl of Floo powder.

 

“Remember what I said,” Teddy's voice was suddenly near her ear and Dominique's heart almost burst from her chest. Alarmed, she nearly toppled the gritty bowl of Floo powder but watched as he steadied her easily, his hand resting casually on her lower back, branding her, “two days and I'll be stopping by Shell Cottage for a little visit.”

 

Dominique's blue eyes narrowed furiously on his face and she glanced around to see if anyone had noticed but was blessedly relieved. Aunt Angie and Roxanne were now chatting about the latest Quidditch Weekly and Uncle George was too busy splashing his son to notice that she was being threatened, “To tell me w-what?” she couldn't help but hiss.

 

Teddy's brown eyes ran over her face for a moment or two as if he were weighing against something before pushing it aside. It was almost eerie to have him staring at her so intently and she felt her cheeks flushing pink, “Aw,” he pouted prettily, as if he found the sight charming. Dominique's upper lip curled and the pout vanished immediately, “I need to tell you about what you'll be doing in two days so be prepared for that.”

 

“It would be smarter to tell me what you want beforehand instead of waiting two days to show up, Teddy.” Dominique bit out, annoyed. She had a feeling that he would be doing it on purpose, just to think about her stewing and worrying about her fate, “it's not like you're going to be busy doing too much, since you got fired.”

 

It was a very bold thing to say and Teddy's eyes widened slightly as if he couldn't quite believe that she had even dared to point out something that was entirely his own fault. But instead of a flash of fury in his eyes, she saw only curiosity and another emotion that made her skin crawl, though she wasn't at all sure what it was, “You didn't stutter at all just now. I find that really, really interesting,” he said, tilting his head at her.

 

Dominique's body tensed and she frowned irritably, wondering why she didn't stutter quite as badly whenever he was around. The fact that she did at all was his fault when she thought back to that nasty trick with the pigs, “Don't w-worry about it,” she snapped uncomfortably, shoving him out of her way and causing his hand to fall away from her back.

 

Teddy watched as she took a bit of Floo powder and cradled it in her palm, looking as if she might toss it into his face. A smile touched his lips for a brief second, though his eyes were drinking her in considerably, as if he had something foul planned, “It was nice seeing you, Dom. Maybe you'll stick around longer next time before you go home,” he said this loudly, charmingly so that her relatives wouldn't be alarmed.

 

Clever of him, Dominique thought reluctantly as she stepped into the fireplace, which was as welcoming as a dank well. For the first time in a long time, she actually couldn't wait to go home and she was just about to toss the powder at her feet when Teddy leaned forward and tugged very playfully on a lock of her hair, amusing for the others watching. “W-what are you—”

 

“You'd better watch that smart ass mouth, Dom or I'm going to make you really regret what you're doing for that bitch of a sister.” Teddy's voice was a low hiss but there was a well-crafted smile on his face that looked teasing and brotherly, though it chilled Dominique's blood. From the corner of her eye, she though she saw Roxanne staring at them worriedly.

 

 

Dominique's tongue felt like sandpaper and she tried to move away, forcing a nearly hysterical laugh from her throat. It would only take a little bit more of this to make her burst into tears and she tried to swallow back her fear, knocking aside his hand with more force than she'd intended, “R-Roxie was right, you are a monster...what is wrong with you?” he gasped, shaken.

 

Teddy appeared so startled by the question and the expression on her face that he actually took a step back, his mouth twisted. A flash of something was in his eyes, perhaps what she might have thought was actual, human emotion before he merely frowned, vengeance replacing it, “Two days,” he mouthed darkly before he turned away, his blue hair flickering like lightning.

 

With one last look at her relatives, Dominique shot them what she hoped was a warm smile before she tossed the Floo powder down. Roxanne was glaring at Teddy and her mother was saying something that she couldn't comprehend, though the expression on her face was very fierce— “Shell Cottage!” she shouted strongly as a burst of green, dancing flame erupted beneath her feet before taking her away, the last thing in her line of vision being Teddy's intent brown eyes.

 

~*~

 

 

Warm sea air was the first sign that she had arrived home and Dominique opened her eyes with a burst of relief, instantly relaxing. Traveling by Floo was a little rough but she was thankful that she hadn't gotten dizzy or knocked her elbows too hard, though she felt a little cramped as she stumbled out of their stone fireplace on trembling legs, ignoring the horrible pounding of her heart. Although Shell Cottage had once been in very bad repair, her father had rebuilt, restored and added onto the simple stone structure until it resembled a plush, miniature mansion.

 

The brick walls were bright and colorful, the rugs plush and the furniture inviting but Dominique had rarely spent much time at home over the summer. She could usually be found at the beach or trekking the long distance to Lucy's house.

 

There were a few lanterns lit and it gave the living room a warm, happy glow that Dominique couldn't help but think was very deceiving. “Dom-Dom, you're finally back!” Louis's excited voice cried from the living room sofa after tossing his comic book aside, her eyes drinking in the familiar thin face and bright brown eyes shielded behind a pair of thick, black glasses, “what took you?” The house appeared to be unusually silent and Dominique looked around quizzically for some sign of her mother bustling about in the kitchen or the sweet scent of her father's cigar smoke.

 

Aside from a gentle wind blowing in through the open window and carrying the heady, addictive smell of the sea, the cottage was surprisingly empty and she adjusted the backpack on her shoulders. It still felt unbearably heavy with the pregnancy potion kit but she barely noticed it now as she continued to smile at her younger brother.

 

Dominique's heart warmed over at his bright smile, one front tooth adorably chipped. “I went over Uncle G-George's and ate dinner t-there,” she explained, omitting any mention of Teddy. A look of annoyance flashed over Louis's thin face and he hopped off the couch and went to her with a very serious expression. It had always surprised her that he had been placed in Hufflepuff instead of Ravenclaw but he never really complained about it even though there had been some gentle teasing from their relatives about him not being in Gryffindor.

 

“How come you got to stay over Uncle George's all day? Papa got a letter from him earlier and its been forever since I've seen Roxie and Freddie,” Louis complained after allowing her to kiss his cheek affectionately. He pinched her arm, “I wanted to go over and play with them but Mum and Papa made me go over Aunt Ginny's,” he said with a sour face.

 

“I t-thought you liked going over Aunt G-Ginny's?” Dominique asked in surprise, watching as her brother sulked and pushed his thick glasses up the brim of his nose. He was one of the only few grandchildren that actually had to wear them and although she knew that her brother was very bright and incredibly wise for his age, he seemed to enjoy hiding behind them a little too much.

 

Louis was still frowning up at her with that sour expression and she watched a lock of his strawberry blonde hair fall onto his forehead. He would hate it if she called it that but there was no other word to describe the color and he was trying to get their mother to let him dye it black, “I do like going over Aunt Ginny's but they got an owl about that Teddy Lupin and were really mad.”

 

Dominique's face paled. “D-did they say what it was a-about?”

 

“No, but if it was about Teddy, it had to be really bad.” Louis replied simply, as if he were pointing out an irreversible fact of life. Considering that he had always been terrified of the boy, she was amused to see how controlled his expression had become, “Uncle Harry was arguing with Auntie about it in his office, me and Albus were listening at the door.”

 

That sounded like something Albus Potter would do and Dominique had the strangest feeling that his curiosity was going to come back and bite him. Being overly curious was probably a side effect from having someone like James as an older brother, “You two are n-naughty, did you h-hear all they were s-saying?” there was a sharp note of disapproval in her voice and he flushed.

 

Louis looked down at his bare feet as if they were suddenly the most fascinating things in the world and she ran her eyes over him carefully. He had always been a bit skinny and short for his age and the white Puddlemore United t-shirt he wore was sliding off his thin shoulders, “No, not all of it because Aunt Ginny caught us listening and we got into trouble and stuff.”

 

“W-where were Mum and P-papa?” Dominique couldn't help but ask.

 

For a twelve-year-old, her brother could adopt rather surly expressions and he shrugged his shoulders slightly, adjusting his overlarge shirt. A note of sadness was in his voice, “They went out to see some of their own friends, they didn't want me tagging along.” He didn't look at her as he added bitingly, “they never pay any attention to me.”

 

Dominique's heart twisted and she ran her fingers gently through his messy hair. “Th-that's okay, I know how s-special you are.” Louis beamed, showing off that chipped tooth for her before he went back to looking down at his feet again with pink cheeks, “t-they're not back yet?” she asked, wondering if they'd been indelicate enough to leave him home alone.

 

“No, they're still out. Uncle Harry took me home,” Louis explained with a miserable expression, as if he had hated the idea of coming back. Dominique shifted the backpack until it was in front of her and opened it, careful not to let him see the “gift” for their older sister, “what're you looking for?” he asked, instantly distracted.

 

During dinner, Uncle George had handed her a small box of some of his most revolting trick sweets, toys and gadgets. Dominique had completely forgotten about getting her brother something when she had been at Teddy's mercy but was thankful that her uncle hadn't, “I got you a p-present. Th-that's why I went all the way to D-diagon Alley today,” even though the words weren't necessarily a lie, she still felt an ugly blush go into her cheeks.

 

Louis's brown eyes widened in both delight and surprise behind his thick glasses. After shoving a bothersome lock of hair out of his face, he asked, “What sort of present?” just the other day she had brought him smooth stones from the beach and a few large seashells and he'd spent a long time cradling them in his hands, as if they were truly precious.

 

Dominique's lips twitched slightly as she withdrew the colorful box and handed it to his outstretched hands, pleased to see him so happy. Louis was speechless for a few minutes as he read the labels, flipped the box over and shook it curiously before giving a shout of joy, “Th-there's all sorts of m-messy t-things in there that you sh-should like,” she said, pleased.

 

“Popping Boils, Snot Blasters, Sir Farts Alot and Mad Dust Bunnies!” Louis cried excitedly as he practically shoved the box of toys and miniature terrors up her nose. Dominique laughed and gently pushed it away, watching her brother's face glow, “wow, Dom! You're the best sister in the whole wide world—I'm going to feed some of this stuff to my frogs!”

 

The words warmed Dominique through to the center of her heart and she watched as he exclaimed over his new box of toys patiently. Louis was probably going to torture one of his many pets late into the night and she couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor creatures, “Sp-speaking of, has Toire c-come home yet?”

 

Louis had already been trying to rip the box open with nimble little fingers but paused at the question, wrinkling his nose and nearly making his glasses slip. The reminder that they had another sister didn't quite sit well with him, Victoire treated him like a nuisance on most days and a playful little pet when she happened to be in a good mood, “What do you mean?”

 

Dominique quickly recalled the lie that Victoire had carefully crafted while they had been on the beach and the one she might have told their parents. Gently, she reached down and adjusted Louis's shirt until she was satisfied that it wouldn't slip off his thin shoulders again, “F-from the ballet s-studio,” she replied calmly, giving him a playful pinch.

 

“Toire didn't go to the ballet studio or anything today,” Louis's voice was incredulous as he went back to fiddling with the box of toys. Dominique felt something unpleasant slide down her back, “one of her mean friends came to pick her up and they went to a birthday party.”

 

“A...p-party?” Dominique croaked.

 

Louis nodded, his lock of strawberry blonde hair falling over his forehead just as his thick glasses nearly slid off the bridge of his nose. He pushed them back up without looking away from the new gift in his hands, “Yeah, but I don't think it was just a birthday party.” There was a frown in his voice now that she couldn't quite ignore, “I heard them talking about stuff while I was outside digging for some new bugs, they didn't notice me.”

 

Dominique's blood had gone a bit cold and she couldn't quite force the words out but she managed to keep calm, unwilling to be impatient with Louis. Their parents hardly paid attention to him as it was and she didn't want him to think that she didn't care about him either, “Oh, y-yeah?” she asked lightly as he extracted a thin box of trick sweets, appearing impishly pleased, “w-what were they t-talking about?” she pressed as gently as she could.

 

“Big girl stuff,” Louis replied innocently.

 

There was no telling what he might have heard and Dominique's anger spiked at how careless Victoire was. “Like w-what?” she asked him carefully, hearing the trace of irritation in her voice.

 

Louis must have heard it as well because he looked up at her warily, his lower lip beginning to jut out in an immediate pout. Although it embarrassed their father to know that he was so sensitive, it was one of the things that Dominique tried to nurture in him, 'Am I in trouble? I wasn't trying to listen to them, Dom-Dom.”

 

“No, sweetheart its all right.” Dominique immediately said, softening her tone until she saw the quiver in his lips dissolve. A relieved expression flashed over his face and he turned a bit pink, apparently a little embarrassed to have nearly burst into tears, “I just want to know what th-they were talking about so I c-can talk to T-Toire about s-something later.”

 

There was a slight hesitation and Dominique was aware that she was holding her breath before Louis finally replied, his tone more confused than it was curious. “They talked about kissing boys and all this other stuff, I don't know what some of the words meant though. Toire was saying she wanted to do all sorts of gross things,” he went into more detail about some of them and she was horrified.

 

Dominique's anger was sparking violently and she was aware of a little tremor in her fingertips, as if it were dying to burst free. “Sh...she s-said all th-that?” she asked tightly, trying to keep the rage from her voice and after he nodded, it became apparent that he was on the verge of asking her something but she interrupted him, “Louis, you don't need to kn-know what some of th-that stuff means, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Louis said with a bit of disappointment as he fiddled with the box of trick sweets, his eyes narrowed in thought. Dominique thought that she was capable of strangling their sister for what she had put into his head, even if she hadn't known he was there, “they were talking about going to some place in Knockturn Alley before they left.”

 

A sick feeling invaded her system and Dominique's throat felt unbearably tight, though the tears that were prickling her eyes was terrible. _“...I'm the only sister you've got and I love you.”_ How could she have been stupid enough to believe that? Victoire had manipulated and tricked her for years and this time was absolutely no different but for just a few minutes she had deluded herself into thinking that she really did care about her.

 

It was almost as if she were being knocked off her feet by the force of misery and betrayal that was coursing through her body. Dominique's heart was hammering so quickly that for a moment she could have sworn that it burst completely from her chest like a deranged jack-in-the- box, _“Oh, Dom-Dom! You're the best! Simply the best—I don't know what I would do without you!”_ Victoire had cried through her tears, which had been as fake as the rest of her.

 

Dominique had been worried for the sake of their family and what a pregnancy could do to her sister's life while she hadn't cared even one bit about her. Selfish, mean and everything that she couldn't stand in one person...that's what a sister really was but the worst part of all was that she had sacrificed her own chance at freedom and been blackmailed into becoming Teddy Lupin's slave. Everything she had risked had meant absolutely nothing. Victoire had been partying with her group of friends, having manipulated her yet again, “Is she home?” Dominique asked her brother, aware that her voice didn't sound anything like her own, it was hollow and deadpan.

 

Louis was distracted by a large bar of Sir Farts Alot and set the brightly wrapped chocolate back into the box before replying. There was a severe note of unhappiness in his voice, “Yeah, she's upstairs in her room, she must have come back early from her party or something. Uncle Harry told her to make sure that I ate and stuff but she just told me to stay out of her way,”

 

That sounded like something Victoire would do and Dominique was suddenly so angry that she almost lost complete control over herself. But she was aware of her brother and tried to reign in her rage until it was simmering dangerously beneath the surface, “Are you h-hungry?” she asked and Louis shook his head, having taken care of this issue himself.

 

“Toire was in a really bad mood so you probably shouldn't try to talk to her right now. I came down here to wait for you to come back, Mum and Papa said they'd probably be in late,” Louis replied as she searched her face carefully, perhaps thinking that she was upset by their parent's absence. Dominique couldn't quite be more relieved that they weren't here, “you okay, Dom-Dom?”

 

Dominique forced a smile onto her face and smoothed a lock of his hair until he was pushing her hand away irritably, frowning. Gently, she said, “Why d-don't you go to your r-room and play with your new toys?” Louis's face brightened immediately at the idea of being left to his own devices. “I'll help you feed your f-frogs if you want,”

 

Louis world beamed happily, hugged her briefly and darted off quickly for the stairs, tripping over his own feet. Dominique waited until she heard the sound of his bedroom door slamming shut before stomping towards the stairs and climbing them two at a time, knowing that she was about to burst into pieces within moments. Rage had always been a very ugly and unpleasant emotion before today but right now, it seethed and bathed in her blood.

 

It was quite delicious and so wonderfully heady that Dominique allowed herself to inhale and sink into it before stomping down the long hallway towards Victoire's room. She ignored the family photos that followed after her, frowning in concern.

 

A particularly beautiful photo of her sister smiled down at her serenely but Dominique hissed at it until it drew away in offense, digging ferociously into her backpack as she did so. The pregnancy potion kit felt oddly light in her hand but Dominique no longer thought of it as something shameful as she found herself panting outside of her older sister's door, so tense with emotion that she thought she would explode.

 

Dominique reached down for the knob and was surprised to see that the door was slightly cracked and realized that she might have only done it in case she heard their parents or Louis coming. There was a song pounding from inside but she couldn't make out the lyrics and found herself shoving open the door and slamming it so loudly that Victoire, who had been admiring herself at her vanity table, nearly jumped three feet into the air.

 

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Victoire demanded, glaring in her direction.

 

Dominique inhaled raggedly to control the rage that was going completely out of control and tried not to simply scratch her sister's lovely eyes out. Distractedly, she glanced around the large expanse of her room, seeing both Quidditch posters zooming in and out of focus and large displays of her favorite Muggle bands and plays, the pictures eerily still, captured forever in joy. A pair of red ballet shoes were tossed into the corner, along with a few clothes that seemed mockingly enticing, as if they knew just how lovely they were. Although it had been a long time since she had been inside of her older sister's room, she was struck silent for a few minutes by how simple it appeared and aside from the large canopied bed and a few garish bits of furniture, it was actually comfortable.

 

The walls were painted a charming shade of violet, the floor coated with fluffy white rugs and a small section of the wall dotted with school photographs. Dominique's eyes glanced towards it, spotting Victoire dominating nearly every picture, her group of friends desperately trying to get a glimpse into her glittering world, their silent squeals of delight and adoring glances making a nasty bit of envy go up her back.

 

Did her sister possess some sort of inhuman skill? How was it that, even though she was perhaps the most selfish person on the planet, could lure people so easily to her? Dominique thought it was ridiculous that people assumed it was all because of their Veela blood but she sensed that perhaps her sister had gotten something from that side of the family that she hadn't.

 

It was ugly and unfair but she gnawed on her lower lip to hold in the sharp curse that might have come out any other time. Dominique looked away from the photos and found herself glaring at a shelf flooded with both Hogwarts and ballet trophies, freshly polished and by the time she was forcing herself to look at her sister again, she was boiling.

 

Victoire had watched her assessment of her room patiently and was toying with the dial of a small wireless, where another garbled song was thumping. A small collection of photos sat at her elbow but she couldn't make out what they were and found that she was too angry to care, “Do you have any idea what time it is?” her sister asked, sounding increasingly bored.

 

“You lying cow!” Dominique suddenly shouted, aware that there were hot tears streaming down her face. Her sister stared at her incredulously before returning to her beautiful reflection in the mirror and pursing her rosy lips, as if she were expecting something far more dramatic, “I can't believe that you lied to me about th-this! You don't know what I went t-through today for you—”

 

Victoire shot her an aggravated glance and pushed a lock of her red hair behind her ear, giving her a tantalizing view of her pale throat. There were bright red hickeys scattered like faerie dust on the most vulnerable part of her skin, as if she had been some sort of rare treat, “I thought I told you not to call me a cow,” she muttered irritably, flashing her a fresh glare.

 

Dominique could feel her irritation spiraling and mixing with her rage, annoyed that her sister was taking this so casually. “You, no m-matter what you do, will a-always be a COW!” she snapped loudly.

 

“Would you shut up and be quiet?” Victoire snapped back at her, flushing furiously. There was a warning look in her blue eyes as she adjusted the thin strap of her pale green nightgown, the surface of her vanity table crumbling under the weight of delicate perfumes, make up and a small wireless, where some sort of garbled lyrics were slithering out, “I'm trying to listen to the latest Twisted Duo song, its called, Romance, just what I live for.”

 

Twisted Duo instantly reminded Dominique of Logan Rookwood, who was the reluctant younger brother of one of the singers. But she couldn't become distracted with thoughts of his light green eyes and dark red hair right now and focused on her sister venomously, “I d-don't care about some s-stupid song, Toire! I want to talk about w-what you lied to me about!”

 

“I have no idea what you're trying to say, Dom but you're being really over dramatic.” Victoire replied dryly as she pushed waves of her red hair over her shoulders. They fell like rivers of flame down her back, until it was impossible to notice how elegant she appeared, “what the hell is your problem? You act like I—”

 

Dominique tossed the pregnancy potion kit with such force that when it smacked her sister hard in the face, she was thoroughly satisfied. Victoire let out a vicious curse as she managed to catch it, a nasty red mark appearing on her forehead, “S-so how did your stupid date go?” she rasped furiously, wiping at the tears on her face roughly and hiccuping.

 

Victoire's face crumbled slightly but she regarded the pregnancy potion kit with a look of deepest revulsion, as if the reminder were unwelcome before setting it aside. “Dom, would you shut up for a minute?” she asked hotly, though there was a nasty flush working its way into her cheeks. “You're being really annoying, what's gotten into you? I ask you to do me one last favor and you practically jump down my throat—”

 

“Shut up!” Dominique's voice had risen to such a shrill pitch that she was amazed that the hounds of hell hadn't heard her. Victoire actually flinched and stared at her in amazement, having never seen her this angry before, even though she only brought out the worst in her, “how did you feel m-managing to get the part you w-wanted while I went out and b-bought that thing for you?!”

 

Victoire stared at her silently for a few minutes and the last of Twisted Duo's song seemed to fade away into some ugly place in Dominique's chest. The rage pulsing through her was so powerful that she could have literally wrung her sister's neck until her head snapped off, “You shouldn't be so sarcastic, Dom, it's really unattractive.” She said bitingly, “not that it would be any different from how you are any other day.”

 

Dominique flinched and hadn't realized that she'd moved forward until she was practically breathing down her sister's throat. Victoire's face blanched slightly but didn't make any move to stand up, as if she were the one wasting her time “You l-lied to me. Again!”she cried furiously, her eyes welling with tears again at how easily she had been manipulated, “how c-could you lie about s-something like th-this?!” she practically screamed.

 

Victoire appeared a little alarmed, the color seeming to drain out of her rosy cheeks, giving her the look of a bleached doll. Guiltily, she looked away but her voice was disgustingly calm, “I actually did need to find out if I were pregnant, I don't even know who the father could be if I am. It's scary, not knowing, you wouldn't have any idea since you haven't got a clue about anything like that,” she muttered bitterly, frowning.

 

“Th-that's not what this is about, Toire!” Dominique's voice was rising again and she tried to think of Louis playing happily in his room. The thought immediately calmed her enough that the anger was pulsing underneath her skin, hissing and shrieking, “if you d-didn't mess around so m-much in the first place, you wouldn't be having this p-problem!”

 

A nasty blush came into Victoire's face then and it was obvious that she had unintentionally struck some sort of nerve. It was no secret to her that she had been sneaking out of the house for years to meet boys on the beach but she hated how carelessly her sister had always acted, “You need to really shut your mouth, Dom, okay? What would you know about being me?” she hissed.

 

Dominique's tone was unbearably cool and it was almost terrifying. “Not a thing and t-that's how I'd like to keep it. I never want to wind up b-being like you,” a flicker of something flashed in her sister's blue eyes and she was shocked to see that she might have actually hurt her. Pushing it and the uncomfortable feeling aside, she pressed on, “you n-need to take r-responsibility for your own mess!”

 

Victoire's hurt vanished in a matter of seconds and she adopted that sneering smile that would have put Teddy Lupin to shame. It was doubly unfair that her face was so angelic, “Since when did you become _Mum_?” she asked, her lips still holding that hideous grin that made Dominique's blood go cold, “did you honestly think that I could walk into an apothecary and get a pregnancy test myself?” an incredulous laugh escaped her lips.

 

“Y-you should have and you know it!” Dominique shouted, unable to understand how she had managed to be tricked into doing it in the first place. For just a few minutes she had felt as if her sister had really needed her, “I went t-through a lot g-getting it for you only to f-find out from Louis that you were at some stupid p-party!”

 

Victoire looked a little aggravated by the words and gnawed gently on her plump lower lip as if she had been caught in an intricate web. Carelessly, she waved her hand as if it would be enough to shoo away that one particular detail, “Don't tell me that you're upset about one tiny little lie...?” she asked with a forced smile, Dominique bristling immediately at the words until she nearly slapped her across the face.

 

“A little lie?!” Dominique shouted, raising her arm until she was quite sure that she meant to hit her sister before forcing it to her side, panting furiously. Victoire finally stood up from her chair and pushed her out of the way, “you never w-went out to the b-ballet studio—”

 

“No, I never went out to the ballet studio.” Victoire repeated without a trace of sympathy, her face a smooth line of perfection. There was a dry smile on her face that reminded her so much of Teddy Lupin that Dominique almost recoiled in revulsion, “I thought you Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart, how long did it take you to figure that out?”

 

Dominique had never felt so much hate welling up in her as she did just now and she knew that even while she was taller than her sister, she somehow felt small. It was almost like being a child, toddling after her as if she were her entire universe, begging for even a scrap of her attention, “You m-made me do all of that for you just so you w-wouldn't ruin your reputation!” she screamed.

 

For just a moment, Victoire looked as if she were about to pen her mouth and form some sort of apology but she simply stayed silent. A flush had worked its way into her pale cheeks and she appeared like a lost princess on the verge of some horrible, unfair discovery, “I couldn't take the risk but its not as if I left you completely unprepared. You took the Polyjuice potion didn't you?”

 

“Th-that's not nearly e-enough, Toire!” Dominique snapped back at her furiously, kicking a white silk scarf out of her way. The fear and worry that she had felt on her behalf, not to mention being in the clutches of Teddy Lupin weren't even able to be spoken of without wanting to pull out her hair and she glared hotly at her sister, “h-how could you do th-that to me?”

 

For a brief moment, a strange expression crossed Victoire's face but she wasn't certain what it might have been or what it had meant. Carefully, her sister cleared her features until she reminded her of a marble statue, unbreakable and fragile all at once, “I didn't think that you were going to find out that I'd lied about going to the ballet studio, Dom, okay?” he looked away. “Simone Goldstein came over talking about an amazing party in Knockturn Alley and I just had to clear my head,”

 

Dominique's mind felt as if it would go completely blank with how much she realized she hated her sister in this one moment. Victoire's selfishness had reached an entirely new level and for a few minutes she wasn't able to speak and saw a look of concern flash over her sister's face, “You were out d-drinking when you t-think that you m-might be pr-pregnant?”

 

“No, of course not! Shit, Dom, what sort of person do you take me for?” Victoire snapped furiously, looking genuinely offended. It was a look that surprised them both and she watched a bit of color flame in her sister's face as she placed a hand on her abdomen, looking as if the energy were leaving her in slow degrees, until she appeared nearly human.

 

Dominique raised her brows coolly and when she spoke, her voice was so frosty that it was a miracle she didn't freeze over. “I d-don't want to hear it, Toire. Don't ever expect me to do a-anything e-else for you again, I've had enough,” her voice cracked and she slowly made her way from the room, unable to be in close proximity with her for another moment.

 

Victoire's blue eyes widened in obvious shock and it was apparent that she hadn't thought that her actions would have these sorts of consequences. “Dom, don't be so angry with me, okay?” there was a noticeable tremor in her voice now and Dominique wasn't certain if it were real or not, she would never be able to dredge up any trust for her again, “it was just one little lie...”

 

“It w-wasn't just a lie, Toire! You had me risk my own r-reputation for you, I w-was worried that our whole l-lives were about to fall a-apart because of what you'd g-gotten into!” Dominique shouted, feeling her eyes welling up with tears once more. Her nose stung and she was horrified to realize that she might actually have snot dribbling, like a two-year old, “you just d-don't care about anything!”

 

There was a thick, ugly silence after the words and Victoire remained quiet for a few minutes as if it were a realization that she'd made a long time ago. Dominique felt her lower lip trembling slightly and watched as her sister looked away, her gaze falling on the photos on her vanity table, “I know I'm not the best person that you could have gotten as your sister but it wasn't always like this. We used to get along so well,” her voice was distant and painfully wistful.

 

Dominique glared at her nastily but followed her gaze until she was staring at an old photograph of the two of them that nearly broke her heart. Victoire's gawky smile was wider than the sky as the pair of them stood on the beach, her own face sun burnt from a day of fishing, building sandcastles and searching for seashells and crabs, “You s-still have th-that picture?” she asked uncomfortably.

 

It had been taken the year before Louis had been born and the two of them looked wild with their hair in thick tangles, their knees scraped and blotchy. “Of course I still have it, I wasn't going to get rid of it just because we don't...” Victoire's voice trailed away as she continued to stare at them, both too young to think that they'd ever stop being as close as they were then. “You have no idea what its like being me.”

 

“I don't care, e-everything's different n-now.” Dominique muttered bitterly.

 

Victoire looked away from the photo with an equally bitter expression and she folded her arms across her chest, the temperature in the room seeming to chill. “You don't know what its like having to smile and be pretty when you're not happy,” she whispered, her tone hard. “Or having both of our parents expecting me to do what they want.” Dominique couldn't help but be surprised, “if they find out that I might be pregnant, my whole life is ruined.”

 

Dominique's chest tightened and she watched as her sister blinked rapidly for a few seconds before looking away from her. It was impossible to tell if she were being genuine or not but she knew that being a ballerina had meant so much to her and it was shocking to see that it had probably been what their parents had always wanted, not a dream that she'd desired for her own happiness.

 

Eventually, as the silence between them grew to be too much, Dominique finally said, her voice far more level than she would have ever expected. “You're the one th-that has to take responsibility for what y-you've done, Toire. I w-won't be involved with a-anymore of this...if you are pregnant, you have to tell t-them the truth.” Her sister's face paled and she appeared lost and alone.

 

“I can't do something like that..” Victoire replied, her voice constricted. For a few seconds she appeared unbearably small, lost and defenseless, “you just wouldn't understand what would happen if they found out what I'm really like.”

 

Dominique understood more than she cared to but couldn't force even an ounce of empathy for her and wondered why it felt so terrible. “Y-you can't just e-expect it to go away, not this time.”

 

Victoire remained silent as she started for the door and she could only imagine how terrible her face had become, how lost. The confident, arrogant sister that had pranced through her life with such abandon was fading away quickly, “You didn't get into any sort of trouble did you....?” her sister finally asked, her voice holding more worry than she would have ever thought possible. Dominique managed to stare at her blankly, “no one saw you?”

 

 _Teddy Lupin blackmailed me because of you_ , Dominique thought but her voice was so tight that she couldn't even force the words out. The only thing she wanted to do was spend time with Louis and pretend that none of this had ever happened, “No. E-everything's...fine.”

 

“...Dom?” Victoire's voice was hollow and she looked on the verge of saying something more but her patience had run thin. Without looking back at her, Dominique walked out of her room and closed the door gently behind her, unable to stop the overwhelming wave of sadness and hate pounding in her chest.


	6. Liar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dominique has been sucked into her sister's lies but quickly realizes that her bargain with Teddy Lupin has taken a turn for the worse.

Tap, tap, taaaaap!

 

Dominique's head flew up in frustration at the irritating sound and she pushed the long strands of her pale blonde hair away from her face, her body giving a jolt as the real world intruded into the protective shield of her imagination. For the past two hours, she had been completely engrossed in one of her latest mystery novels and reluctantly folded a corner of the page before turning towards her bedroom window.

 

“W-what on earth?” she mumbled in confusion as she spotted a large owl pecking ferociously at the glass. “Medusa, so you're the one making all that noise.” She said with an impatient sigh after recognizing the gigantic mass of black feathers as her cousin Lucy's temperamental owl.

 

“What are you d-doing here?” Dominique asked after slipping off her bed and crossing towards the window, where the afternoon sun flashing brightly. There was a wonderful view of the ocean from where she stood and the rolling blue waves gleamed with the brilliance of a polished emerald, “y-you're going to hurt y-yourself doing that.” She scolded in amusement as the beast pecked loudly once more on the glass, glowering at her. “Just like last time,”

 

It was another beautiful day and she had originally planned on going down to the beach for a few hours with Louis before the events in her latest book had captured her attention. Dominique felt a little guilty for allowing herself to be so easily distracted when she had promised her brother that they would spend the afternoon fishing, hunting for crabs and jellyfish.

 

“You're reading again?” Louis had asked when he had wandered inside an hour ago, his fishing pole in one hand. “We were supposed to go fishing and stuff today!” he'd whined.

 

“Give me a few more m-minutes, okay? I'm almost done and I n-need to find out w-what happens n-next.” Dominique had pleaded and she'd watched her younger brother groan, his brown eyes rolling heavenwar before he'd sulked out. Louis had always been far more interested in roaming the outdoors than he was reading but she knew that he had been disappointed when she hadn't set her novel aside and taken him outside to play.

 

There was nothing worse to her than breaking promises to her baby brother.

 

Dominique felt her chest tighten but blocked out the uncomfortable thoughts of the previous night as she made a mental note to take Louis fishing for the rest of the afternoon. Although it wasn't considered an enjoyable past time for most of her cousins, she actually enjoyed the long, peaceful moments in her father's boat with her brother, they usually had their best moments together there.

 

Louis was currently downstairs in the kitchen with their parents enjoying a hearty lunch but she had pretended not to be hungry in order to minimize any chance of being near Victoire again, especially after the previous night.

 

For a few minutes, it felt as if her chest had been mercilessly stepped on and Dominique couldn't even begin to understand her sister's selfishness, Teddy Lupin's cruelty and her own stupidity. The previous day's events felt like the worst possible nightmare and it had been so naive of her to even think that for one moment Victoire Weasley had actually been vulnerable. It was beyond humiliating to be reminded of how easily she had been sucked into the whole charade when some part of her had been so desperate to earn her older sister's affection.

 

After playing with Louis for a few hours and tucking him into bed, she had wandered aimlessly into her bedroom with all the strength of an ill patient, her chest still riddled with pain. By then, the tears had threatened to overwhelm her again and Dominique couldn't remember stumbling across the room, kicking off her shoes and allowing the weariness in her bones to dull her senses.

 

The stressful events of the night had finally become too much for her to handle and she'd collapsed onto her bed with a whimper of misery before wrapping herself in an old quilt and playing with the worn, green thread until her fingers had felt numb.

 

Eventually, sleep had claimed her after several minutes but Dominique's dreams had been bombarded with the image of blue hair and the flash of that awful gold tooth. How was it possible that thoughts of the blue-haired devil could intrude into the depths of her mind so easily? During the turbulent night, she had been so caught up in her own depression that she had nearly forgotten that Teddy Lupin would be arriving at Shell Cottage the day after tomorrow with a terrible task for her to perform. The weight of their bargain made her almost ill, she felt shackled to him.

 

“ _You'd better watch that smart ass mouth, Dom or I'm going to make you really regret what you're doing for that bitch of a sister.”_ Teddy had warned in a way that had made her tense with unease. It had been obvious then that he was more than serious about their arrangement...it was almost as if he'd been soaked in cold, relentless vengeance.

 

The fact that the boy loathed her sister had been something Dominique had known for years but she found herself pondering what had really happened between them. She wasn't even certain if anyone had ever dared to ask, they merely accepted it as an unchangeable truth. Dominique knew very little about what their previous relationship could have been like but she couldn't imagine that they had ever been good friends.

 

There was a compelling history between them that was hidden beneath their hostile treatment of one another but she quickly pushed the thought away, the earliest memories she had of the pair mostly consisted of when they were fighting or arguing.

 

If they had ever cared for one another, it must not have lasted very long now that Victoire treated Teddy as if he were nothing more than slime on her pretty high heels. Teddy had never made any effort to hide his open disdain for her sister either and she had to wonder where all of his hatred stemmed from, if anything.

 

Dominique had to reluctantly admit that the blue-haired devil was a curious individual but she didn't think that he would ever become unguarded with her enough to spill his deepest secrets. Although some part of her couldn't help but be very curious by what lurked underneath the surface, she had a feeling that it wasn't something she wanted to really know, it was troubling to picture a Teddy that was vulnerable, hurting or kind.

 

If there was even an ounce of compassion in the meager pieces of his soul, he would find it in himself to let the blackmailing go but Teddy was far more petty than she could have imagined. Dominique let out a frustrated sigh at the situation that she had been tricked into, being at the mercy of someone like Teddy made her want to vomit and she couldn't help but loathe her sister intensely, _“It was just one little lie...”_ Victoire had claimed last night, her eyes holding little remorse.

 

Those words had echoed obnoxiously in her ears all night and it had been almost impossible to ignore the subdued air that had been around her sister this morning at breakfast.Dominique had kept her mouth firmly closed and her eyes lowered on her plate, unwilling to ask if their worst fear was confirmed.

 

Victoire had always been far too selfish to think about someone else's needs above her own and if she turned out to really be pregnant, it would probably only be torture for her but even as the thought left her mind, something very nasty went down her spine—so what if she suffered?

 

After all the lies, manipulation and selfishness, it would be just what Victoire deserved but it felt too cruel to say those words out loud and Dominique felt briefly ashamed of herself. There would hardly be any time to consider her own feelings if her sister turned out to be pregnant, having a baby at such a young age would probably change everything.

 

The news would not only cause problems for herself and Louis at Hogwarts but it would devastate their parents, they valued the opinions of their influential friends far more than they did anything else, they wouldn't be able to stomach the scandal. Dominique frowned thoughtfully, she couldn't quite feel any genuine sympathy for her parents, neither of them had ever bothered to ask anything about what her dreams or interests were.

 

Although she had hoped that it would change, her superficial parents had never cared to know how much she enjoyed sailing or writing her own short stories. For a few comfortable minutes, Dominique stared peacefully out at the endless waves of the ocean water from her window, ignoring Lucy's owl as it began to peck angrily on the glass again. The serene sight instantly calmed her and she inhaled deeply before looking around her small bedroom for a moment, the tall bookshelves piled high with all of her favorite novels, textbooks and manuscripts instantly capturing her attention.

 

Although her Aunt Hermione had a separate office for her overwhelming collection of books, her own was very small in comparison. Dominique had always been awed at the large expanse of volumes that had been hoarded over the years but ruefully noted that her own bookshelves were beginning to take up most of the space in her bedroom and contrasted nicely against her pastel blue walls.

 

When she had still been small, her parents had helped layer nearly every inch with colorful seashells that they had stolen from the beach and over the years, the bright colors had faded but gave the area joy and cheer.

 

Medusa gave a series of impatient taps on the window just then and Dominique opened it with an apologetic smile. It would be best to put what had happened the previous night behind her for a little while, “You k-know th-that I didn't forget about you on p-purpose, don't give me that face.” She chastised as the owl huffed indignantly before fluttering inside and nearly bowling her over.

 

Medusa flew around the expanse of her bedroom for a few minutes in apparent glee, hooting and screeching loudly before dropping a short roll of acid green parchment at her feet. “Thank you,” she said dryly, picking up the parchment.

 

A cackling sort of reply was all that she received and Dominique frowned a little before unrolling the letter, amused by the sight of Lucy's bold, dainty handwriting. The bright splash of red ink reminded her of blood, she had a feeling that her cousin had done it on purpose for dramatic effect and couldn't stop herself from smiling as she read the letter:

 

_**Dom,** _

 

_**How the hell are you? I'm really, really sorry that we didn't get to hang out or anything yesterday but after that boring Ministry brunch, Mum and Dad took us touring around Muggle London. It was really fun until they actually dragged me and Molly to where they first met, some old strip club that's been closed for centuries it seems like.** _

 

_**You should have seen them, it was pathetic! They got all mushy and started proclaiming their everlasting love to one another—just like they would have done at home, mind you but Mum was sort of in her cups and it got a little out of control before Dad took us home.** _

 

_**Anyway, I'm really bored right now and was thinking of how we haven't seen each other in the last twenty four hours and got all depressed. I really miss your face so make sure you come over in the next hour or I'll just have to come and get you myself and I'm pretty sure your parents aren't going to like the fact that I've got a new toy gun either, it shoots paint balls and everything this time.** _

 

_**Send your reply back with Medusa and be warned, she's in a really snobby mood today because Dad had the dumb idea to actually compliment her. He's doomed us all.** _

 

_**Dreaming of you,** _

 

_**Lucy Pamela Weasley** _

 

_**P.S.: Hurry up.** _

 

Dominique finished reading the letter and felt her chest lifting with happiness at the thought of spending a few hours with her best friend, immediately thinking of bringing Louis along. Although Lucy was a lot more spirited and rambunctious, they had always been very close and she was certain that her brother would love to get a chance to see Molly since she had always spoiled him as badly as she had.

 

“Would you stop th-that?” she snapped up at Medusa, who was continuing to swirl brilliantly around the room.

 

Medusa hooted in a rather offended way before knocking into the side of her head and landing on top of her bookshelf, huffing. Dominique rubbed the spot irritably before wandering quickly over to her desk, pushing aside bits of torn parchment and old quills once she got there, eagerly anticipating the moment when she could be away from Shell Cottage.

 

A bit of peace from Victoire would be more than welcome, “Once I'm d-done, you take this st-straight to Lucy, you hear me?” she asked over her shoulder.

 

There was no reply from the owl and when Dominique saw the way those evil-looking eyes were narrowed on her, she had to suppress a shudder. Amused, she turned away from the owl's demonic glare and picked up an eagle feather quill before uncapping a bottle of purple ink, “If I don't h-hurry and send you b-back, Lucy might come on her own.” She remarked idly to the owl as she began to scribble out a hasty reply on a spare bit of silver stationary, her quill moving so quickly across the surface that the ink began to run.

 

Medusa hooted at her mishap as Dominique blew on the parchment carefully, a few drops of the ink splattering onto the front of her blue t-shirt. The sight caused her to inwardly groan, she knew that her mother would likely make a big fuss over the stain, “How c-could you be so clumsy, Dominique?” she muttered impatiently, mimicking her mother's exasperated tone as she set the letter down and went to her dresser. “I won't be able to get out of the h-house if she sees th-this. What do you think I should wear?” she asked moodily after opening a drawer.

 

Dominique heard the owl hoot some sort of snobbish reply as she rummaged around, dismayed to see that a few of her favorite shirts were missing. Alot of them were so old that they were beginning to fray around the edges and it wouldn't be surprising to find out that Louis had stolen a few to line the nests of his pet's beds. Annoyed, she selected a pretty pink camisole that her mother had bought a few months ago, the hem dotted with butterflies, “Spare me.” She murmured in growing revulsion as she fingered the gentle swooping of lace along the front.

 

It was the sort of girly abomination that Victoire would have worn with graceful and Dominique knew that she would never manage to appear so confident. The differences between them couldn't have been more obvious, “Oh, Dominique. This would look so darling on you,” her mother had cooed, her blue eyes luminous with a rare glint of maternal pride.

 

At the time, it had been impossible to say no when her mother had appeared so happy but she now cursed under her breath, the camisole was completely different from what she would normally wear.

 

Dominique knew that it hardly mattered to Lucy what sort of clothes she wore but if her mother finally saw her wearing it, she might actually bless her with one of those rare, proud smiles. A childish part of her thrilled at the prospect and she slipped out of her t-shirt, thinking that her breasts had been much bigger after she had drunk the Polyjuice Potion and become another girl.

 

For just a little while she had truly felt a bit of that strange power that her sister possessed. “No p-point in thinking about th-that any more.” The words came out a bit more miserable than she'd intended as she put on the camisole, immediately feeling naked without any sleeves.

 

After smoothing out the wrinkles uncomfortably, Dominique couldn't help but notice that the soft pink color complimented her pale blonde hair rather nicely. It almost made her feel...elegant and pretty, which were two words that she never would have used to describe herself but she shook off the silly feeling before stuffing her feet into a pair of ragged trainers.

 

Medusa hooted dispassionately.

 

“What are you l-looking at?” Dominique demanded as the creature shifted restlessly. “I t-think the letter sh-should be dry by now, you take it straight to Lucy.”

 

Dominique ignored the owl's haughty glare as she went back to her desk and cautiously tapped the surface of her letter. The ink was still a little damp but she rolled it up neatly anyway, careful not to get any of the black residue on her fingers, “Here, Medusa,” she called to the owl after she had tied the letter with a bit of thick twine, her arm raised. With a vicious screech, the beast hopped off her bookshelf and snatched the letter from her hand in a flurry of feathers and talons, nearly knocking her over. “You did th-that on purpose!” she snapped furiously but the monster was already gone.

 

Lucy would reply quickly with either a letter gushing about her exaggerated triumphs or a love poem that would make even an angel wince. Dominique smiled a little before making her way out of her room and wandering cautiously downstairs, unsure what she would find when she made her way into the kitchen, though she hoped that Victoire wouldn't try to be friendly with her.

 

Pretending that everything was normal between them would be intolerable after last night but her sister barely paid her a glance when she walked into the kitchen, the intoxicating scents of a heavy meal hovering pleasantly in the air. A large oval window had been thrust open to allow in a bit of warm, sea air and it immediately caused the stiffness in Dominique's shoulders to fade away.

 

The kitchen was spacious and welcoming, every surface polished to perfection while the subtle scents of white roses, mint tea and her father's cigar smoke lingered pleasantly in the air. Although Victoire often complained about the contrasting fragrances, she thought that they were oddly comforting, she had always felt that it was the only place in the cottage that was truly relaxing, hundreds of happy memories had been created here.

 

For a brief moment, Dominique's mind was overwhelmed with the faded images of her childhood, the distorted sounds of laughter only creating a bitter knot to form in her broken heart. Victoire eyed her warily from beneath her thick lashes before staring into her bowl of spring salad sullenly, it was unusual to see her sister so dispirited and wan.

 

“It's about time you showed up,” her sister commented sourly, though she scraped up a sunny smile that may as well have been an insult. “I was getting a little worried about you,” she drawled, her blue eyes like sharp angles of glass.

 

 _Liar_ , Dominique thought bitterly. “I was r-reading.” She eventually replied, her voice holding a strange edge that only caused her sister's perfect brows to knit together, a suspicious gleam flashing in the depths of her blue eyes. “I didn't want to be b-bothered,” aware of their father's presence, she kept her tone as light as possible, though it was difficult.

 

Victoire's lips pressed together tightly, as if she were holding back on asking a bolder question and she toyed with her fork for a moment, pink nails shining. “Well, that's nothing new.” The girl muttered distastefully, though the barb didn't carry its usual sting as the paleness in her cheeks intensified into a grey pallor that reminded Dominique of a corpse. Dressed simply in jeans and a purple tank top with her red hair hanging down her back, she resembled a flickering candle, “...you live in your own little world once you're hiding behind a book.”

 

“Maybe you sh-should try it sometime,” Dominique replied tersely as she walked over to the table, unable to look at her sister for much longer without revealing her loathing and heartache. Their father glanced between them curiously but remained silent, a curt nod in her direction the only sign that he acknowledged her arrival and she gave a brief smile in return. It was a miracle that her face didn't crack from the effort and she glanced at Victoire warily, sensing that their emotional argument the previous night wasn't the only thing causing her to appear so subdued, “it would be an i-improvement.”

 

Victoire glowered at her for the remark but a few splotches of color appeared in her pale cheeks, her mouth twisting into a thin, ugly line. There was a heavy amount of hopelessness in the depths of her eyes but Dominique wasn't certain if it were genuine, “I'm going to be too busy in the next couple of weeks to read.” The words were said with a smug sort of smile that pleased their father as he looked at them once again from the depths of his newspaper, his eyes questioning. “Unlike you, Dom-Dom I actually like taking a break from textbooks.”

 

Dominique rolled her eyes slightly as an unpleasant sting spiraled into her chest. There was no possible way that she could ask her sister about the pregnancy kit in front of their parents and Louis but it was a question that she would need an answer to eventually.

 

Had she taken it? After waiting for five or ten minutes, the potion should either turn blue for yes and white for no, Dominique's mind quickly conjured up the instructions for the pregnancy potion kit, the words somehow more haunting than reassuring. _The journey to parenthood or a celebrated life of single living awaits you!_ Which was it then? Her eyes drifted over her sister cautiously but her sister appeared reluctant to meet her questioning stare.

 

“Dom-Dom, are you finished reading your book now?” Louis suddenly asked across from their sister, breaking up the curious tension in the kitchen as he stuffed his mouth with the remains of a ham sandwich. The question snapped Dominique out of her thoughts and she jerked her eyes away from Victoire and smiled at their brother, noting that his strawberry blonde hair needed a good brushing and his thick black glasses were askew. Their mother had hardly noticed her arrival, her attention devoted to adding sliced lemons into a pitcher of iced tea at the counter, “can we still go fishing today? I want to dig up some worms and stuff.” He informed, bread flying.

 

Before Dominique could reply, their mother's voice intruded upon them like a blast of ice water and she shifted uncomfortably, fingering the hem of the camisole. “Don't talk with your mouth full, Louis.” The woman chastised as she floated over to the table with the pitcher and carefully refilled their father's glass, her long mane of silver hair shimmering like silk around her shoulders. Her tall, slender body was clad in a simple green dress and even from where she stood, she caught the strong hint of some exotic perfume, “you could choke if you're not careful.” She continued worriedly, her accent like the sharp note of a harp.

 

Dominique knew that it had taken a few years for her English to improve but there were still traces of her native language in between the crisp words. It made her sound like a charming angel but it had been a long time since she had ever admired her mother in such a way, “Mum, I'm not going to choke!” Louis retorted as he carefully bit into his sandwich, his brown eyes narrowed. Their father gave him a brief smile before he picked up the latest copy of the Daily Prophet that he must have set aside earlier, his scarred face crinkled with concentration, “Uncle George told me that it's rude not to talk without having food in your mouth.”

 

“You shouldn't trust everything your Uncle George tells you, Louis.” Their father replied with a slight frown as he looked up from the bowels of the newspaper, the deep scars on his face giving him the appearance of a battered lion. Dominique knew that he had once been attacked by a werewolf when he had been young but she couldn't quite think of the young man in their family photos as being the same person, her father seemed to have become harder since then. Even with his long red hair and dragon fang earring, he gave off an air of displeasure that made her feel inadequate, as if she were highly lacking in his eyes, “your uncle has a very bad habit of lying.”

 

Louis shifted uneasily at the stern words and reached for the large platter of brownies in the center of the table with a pout, the sight causing Dominique's stomach to bubble with hunger. Their mother usually became carried away once she began cooking and it wasn't astonishing to see that a simple lunch consisted of various pies, sandwiches, salads, and an overabundance of desserts. “That silly George, I'm going to have a talk with him about all those horrible toys he's given you,” Dominique heard their mother warn as she refilled Victoire's half empty glass with iced tea. Her sister smiled up at her adoringly and her blood boiled with irritation, “they've made a mess of my living room.” She complained with a sigh.

 

Dominique wondered if her brother had unleashed a small horde of Mad Dust Bunnies earlier but had seen no sign that the cottage had been in any danger of falling apart. Louis frowned slightly and gnawed on his brownie before he mumbled, “Dom-Dom gave them to me yesterday, Mum. They were a present,” he informed with a happy smile, shooting a glance at her. Victoire rolled her eyes a little before popping a cherry tomato in her mouth, “she got me all sorts of cool stuff.” He continued with impish delight, his brown eyes shining.

 

“You hardly need anymore toys, Louis.” Their mother said firmly as she finally took notice of Dominique, her deep blue eyes sweeping over her critically. Although she knew that she had done nothing wrong by getting the trick toys for her brother, a guilty flush worked its way into her cheeks at her mother's uncompromising stare, “it would be better if you didn't spoil him so much either, Dominique.” The heavy note of disapproval in her voice was almost unbearable. “How will he ever learn if you're always giving him whatever he wants?” she admonished.

 

“But they were a present—” Louis began but he faltered at their mother's look.

 

The floor beneath her feet threatened to tilt but Dominique managed to keep her face reasonably calm, even though it was difficult not to wither at the words. Louis was a sensitive and guarded boy and would most likely come to her rather than their mother if he were afraid or needing comfort, it had become impossible for her not to bend. The strength of their relationship was something neither of their parents would be able to understand, they had drifted away from the two of them years ago, “Uncle George said th-that he didn't have a p-problem with me t-taking something, Mum.”

 

Although their parents were fond of her uncle and aunt to a certain extent, it was obvious that they could only stand them for a few hours at a time. Their father set aside his newspaper with a weary sigh and shot her a level look that caused Dominique's exposed skin to break out in a strange, penetrating sheet of ice. “I'm going to have to have a word with him about that.” For nearly twenty years he had worked at Gringotts and had even helped reconstruct it after the War and in his mind, she had caused some sort of grave offense. “I don't want you two thinking that you can get everything you want for free,” he said with a scowl.

 

Dominique flinched slightly at the reprimand and couldn't help but glance at her older sister, knowing that she had never been criticized for her selfish actions nearly as much. Victoire was incredibly spoiled and even though their parents had never allowed them to go without the finer things, her sister had never had to endure the long lectures about the importance of hard work, “But Uncle George said he didn't have a p-problem with it, Papa. I told him that I would p-pay for whatever I got but he said th-that it didn't matter,” she defended, aware that her voice was barely above a whisper.

 

“That doesn't mean that you should have taken anything, Dominique.” Her father replied with far more calm than she had expected, his voice holding what she suspected was annoyance. It had been a long time since she had earned a pleasured smile from him and she couldn't even recall the last time that they had even bothered to have a heartfelt conversation...she wondered if her father knew that she was alive, “when you said that you were going into Diagon Alley to get your brother something, I assumed that you were going to buy it with your allowance.”

 

“I had _planned_ to but I w-went to see Uncle George and when I told him about getting Louis a p-present he said th-that I was free to p-pick out s-something from the shop.” Dominique replied thickly, unable to ignore the way her stutter increased with her anxiety. It was almost as if her mind was spinning too fast for her words to keep up and she clenched her fists tightly, “I can go back and p-pay for what I t-took,” the Galleons that Victoire had given her yesterday had all been spent buying the pregnancy kit and her own allowance was nearly gone.

 

That earned a wry smile from her father and for a moment he appeared almost amused, the rays of sunlight caressing the deep gouges in his face. Dominique saw for just a second how handsome he must have been before he had been so brutally attacked and it was the sort of breathtaking image that she knew her mother saw everyday, despite his wounds. “I don't think it would matter now but I don't want you doing it again or buying more toys for Louis.” His son opened his mouth to make a protest and he shot him a displeased scowl that seemed to break his spirit, “he's getting a little too old to be treated like a baby—”

 

“I'm not a baby, Papa!” Louis snapped irritably, though it was obvious that he was trying desperately not to cry from the expression on their father's harsh face. It took all of her power not to rush over, sweep him into her arms and carry him from the room, “Dom-Dom gave them to me.” Those few words seemed to have more than one meaning and their mother shot her a severe look, as if her constant spoiling would wind up with her only son becoming dependent and weak. “I'm not a baby,” the boy murmured weakly to himself as his thick black glasses threatened to slide from his nose.

 

“I know that you're not a baby, Louis but you're going to be thirteen next year. Don't you think that you should stop relying on your big sister to take care of you so much?” their father asked with as much gentleness as he could, his eyes running over his son's face closely. Louis had never been interested in curse breaking, treasure hunting or the tours that he had been taken to of Gringotts and their father's disappointment couldn't have been more evident, “you need to have a stronger character to make it in the real world, especially if you want to work with goblins every day.” He tried to make his voice teasing but it only made Louis's miserable expression deepen.

 

Louis hesitated for a minute or two before pulling his overlarge t-shirt over his shoulder, his strawberry blonde hair hanging in his eyes. It somehow made him look far older than just a twelve-year-old boy and Dominique's heart twisted painfully at the thought, he was never going to able to live up to their father's standards or high expectations, “...I like animals, not goblins.” The boy finally muttered stubbornly, perhaps thinking of Uncle Charlie with far more fondness than he ever tried to show their father. “Animals are a lot nicer to me than people are,” his eyes shot towards Victoire almost immediately.

 

“But you can't spend all your time with animals, Louis.” Their mother said with a rare, affectionate smile as she hastily covered up the awkward silence that had fallen. With an impatient scowl, their father scooped up his neglected copy of the Daily Prophet and began scouring the pages again, a muscle in his jaw ticking like the chime of a mantel clock, “your big sisters aren't going to be around all the time to take care of you and if you want to be like your papa, you have to learn how to be strong on your own.” She informed with another one of those rare smiles, intent on wiping away the unpleasant tension in the room even as Louis continued to sulk.

 

Dominique noticed that the color had drained out of Victoire's face at those last words, her blue eyes glazing over with a look that was so close to emptiness that it frightened her. Their mother noticed as well and reached out to touch her forehead, “What is the matter with you today, darling?” she asked worriedly, her voice practically a croon while her sister avoided her gaze. Guilt thickened the air, “you've barely eaten today and you're a tad warm, have you been working yourself a little too hard?” she pressed anxiously, knowing that Victoire's rigorous ballet practices could leave her winded.

 

“No, it's nothing like that.” Victoire assured their mother with a simpering smile, though she appeared annoyed by her smothering concern. Dominique's throat clenched tightly and she found herself biting almost painfully on her tongue, knowing that that one question would destroy the foundations of their family. “I'm just a little tired, I didn't sleep well the night before.” She said with a small sigh that seemed to mollify their mother, though Dominique had to stop herself from slapping her, it was apparent that neither of their parents suspected the truth.

 

The selfish, greedy lies from the previous night swirled tauntingly around her head and Dominique thought that she would implode from the agonizing force of them. It took all of her power not to burst into a riot of furious, explosive screams, “You might need to take a nap sometime today until you're feeling better, sweetheart.” Their mother advised after smoothing back a few stray wisps of Victoire's red hair from her forehead, her hand delicate and gentle. “If you push yourself too hard you won't be able to attend any auditions and you've been working far too long to give up on your dream.” She said firmly, her eyes shining with pride.

 

Dominique watched Victoire nod but there was a surprising amount of bitterness in her eyes when their mother shifted away to clear a few dishes. For just a moment, Victoire appeared as if her entire life were spiraling out of her control and she had to bite down on the scathing retort she could have made at the ridiculous sight. How hard could it be living the life of a pampered, beloved princess? It wasn't the same as not existing at all but before the feeling could shatter her to a million pieces, there was a hard knock at the front door, “I-I'll get it, it's probably Lucy.” She croaked out before either of her parents could react.

 

“That little devil, she's going to break the door down at this rate.” Their mother said with an irritable sigh as the hard knocking continued with barely a pause in between. Louis appeared rather hopeful for the distraction, the misery on his face etching away as their father sighed heavily behind the protection of the Daily Prophet, “go answer it, Dominique and make sure you tell her that I won't tolerate any of her foul language while she's here.” Her mother added sternly as she wandered over to the sink and disposed of the dirty dishes.

 

“Mum, if it's okay, Lucy w-wanted to know if Louis and I wanted to come v-visit for a few h-hours today.” Dominique replied carefully, hoping that the longing in her voice would be enough to sway her mother. Nearly every summer, she spent more time with Lucy and her family than she did at Shell Cottage and they had never tried to stop her from spending time with her best friend even though they disapproved of her attitude. Aunt Audrey and Uncle Percy lived only a few miles away and while her mother was very fond of her aunt, her uncle and father's relationship had become rather fickle over the years, “I was supposed to h-have left in an hour, she's p-probably just come to get me.”

 

Louis appeared instantly delighted by the idea and his thin face began to glow with a grin that made her heart melt. Dominique suspected with amusement that he would be following Molly around like a love struck puppy the moment he laid eyes on her, “I want to go too! Mum, can I?” he asked their mother eagerly, his brown eyes becoming round and almost doll-like. An outrageous pout began to form when their mother hesitated uncertainly, “please? I didn't get to see Roxie or Freddie yesterday!” he whined.

 

Victoire's face was a mask of composure but Dominique could tell that she was restraining herself from making some sort of cutting remark. Their mother was silent for a few more seconds while the door continued to be pounded on and she relented with an aggravated nod, “I suppose it would be all right, so long as the two of you don't bother them too much.” That caused their father to snort and she shot him a warning look that caused him to straighten slightly in his chair, “but I highly doubt if either of them would notice,” she sniffed, her blue eyes rolling heavenward. Victoire shuddered, “there's no telling what they must be up to at this time of the day.”

 

“As long as they're both fully clothed, I don't mind.” Their father retorted dryly as he finally set his newspaper down and turned to Louis with a smile that was more forced than it was hopeful. Dominique stiffened slightly, she wasn't certain if he had ever truly seen her at all, he hadn't even considered that she would have wanted to join them and she felt a part of herself wilt away into almost nothing. “If you had wanted, I would have taken you fishing.” A smile crept along his mouth, “it's been a while since I've been on the boat,” he said with a surprising amount of wistfulness that immediately softened his features.

 

Louis looked both astonished and wary by the suggestion and he shot Dominique a guilty glance, any amount of bonding they could get from their parents was to be hoarded immediately. Neither of them would ever get such a chance again even if they prayed for it, “Its all right, Louis. You can stay here t-then and go fishing with Papa if you r-really want.” Dominique assured him, knowing that a small amount of jealousy was worming its way into her bones. It would be a relief to actually become alive in this place, “...I'll just go s-spend some time with Lucy.”

 

“We'll go fishing tomorrow?” Louis asked her hesitantly.

 

“Of course,” Dominique promised with a sincere smile before she walked out of the kitchen, hoping that she would be able to find some portion of happiness with her best friend. It was always difficult being in the same space as her parents without feeling as if she were fading away and she tried to block out the emotions as she went to answer the door, where the pounding was becoming both impatient and more than a little angry. Lucy must have had a bad day and she sighed, her mother was going to have a word with her when she plowed inside, “stop b-banging, already, here I am!” she snapped as she turned the knob and opened the door.

 

Teddy Lupin's familiar drawl was enough to dampen even the smallest of hopes as he peered down at her, his brown eyes obscured by a pair of black sunglasses. A dispassionate smile had worked its way onto the firm curves of his mouth, “It's about damn time,” the boy retorted derisively as he shoved his way inside, uncaring of the horrified look that flashed over Dominique's face at his sudden appearance at Shell Cottage. The bones in her body seemed to have turned to glass and she struggled to gather her thoughts, barely managing to shut the door after him, “I was standing out there forever and do you know how hot it is?” he complained.

 

“W...what are you d-doing here?” Dominique demanded in a harsh whisper as she desperately tried not to burst into a riot of tears. Teddy had warned her that they would be seeing one another again in two days but there was still time...there was still a full day before he was scheduled to remind her of a bargain that she couldn't get away from. Victoire's secret was on the line and even if she hated her sister for what she had done to her, some part of her couldn't just abandon her now and that was the most shameful truth of it all. “You're not s-supposed to be here.”

 

“That's a charming way to say hello, no wonder you're always surrounded by adoring friends.” Teddy retorted coolly, his posture lacking its usual confidence. As Dominique tried to gather her tumbling thoughts, she couldn't help but notice that there was something oddly...contained about him and she studied him more closely, unable to help herself. He looked as if he hadn't slept at all since the last time they'd seen one another. There was a grey pallor to his skin that made his cheeks appear sunken and sharp, “I have a feeling that you're still in shock and from the way you're gawping, you can barely hold in your scream.” The boy drawled dryly.

 

Dominique's cheeks flushed but she studied him for a moment longer, becoming aware of the fact that he had changed his hair from deep blue into a shade of blonde that resembled her own. Uncle Harry had mentioned in the past that his mother had been a talented Metamorphmagus but she had always been too uncomfortable asking Teddy about what he thought of his gift, she felt that it was far too private. “I was just a-admiring your new hair,” she lied quickly, the bright color making him appear like her lost older brother. “You look a lot d-different as a blonde.”

 

Teddy tilted his head slightly with satisfaction and studied her for a few tense, curious minutes before shrugging carelessly, a brief smile touching his lips. Dominique couldn't help but wonder what sort of activities he had been involved in the previous night but doubted if they were the sort that would make even the most jaded individual proud. “Thanks for noticing, I thought I'd do something a little different.” He explained calmly and she shifted uneasily, sensing that he had wanted to hide from something or someone. “Look, Dom, I'm not here to see you today so don't stare at me like I'm going to rip you a new one,”

 

Dominique's brows knitted together in confusion before running her eyes over him cautiously, detecting that something was severely wrong. Instead of being dressed in his usual attire of punk rock rags, he wore a long-sleeved white shirt and a pair of ripped blue jeans that were so out of the ordinary that it was laughable. “Th-then what are you doing here?” she demanded, aware that her parents and siblings were waiting in the kitchen for what they had thought was Lucy's grand arrival. Suddenly, the thought of Victoire seeing Teddy was enough to make her squirm, “...you never come here.”

 

Teddy had rarely visited Shell Cottage over the years and he gave a soft sigh that sounded more like an indecent curse. Dominique wouldn't be surprised if he had called her something incredibly lewd and her cheeks turned pink, “Trust me, I'm not happy about it.” He said curtly and she watched as he looked around the expanse of the living room with displeasure.“Aunt Audrey told me to come down here and give your mum back one of the cookbooks she'd borrowed a while back. See?” he asked in aggravation while holding up a small book that she hadn't bothered to notice,“this may come as a hard blow, Dom but I'll never be that eager to see you.”

 

The pointed insult caused Dominique's face to burn and she glowered up at him, knowing that there was something bizarre pulsing beneath his skin. Although it would be impossible to truly understand his methods or actions, she could tell that he was unraveled but didn't think that it was something that he was even aware of himself, “E-everyone's in the kitchen.” The words came out a bit more wary than she had intended and Teddy shot her a mocking glance before heading towards the rest of her family, one of his fists clenched at his side. “D-don't cause any trouble with Toire today either, okay?” she hissed behind him.

 

“Dominique, if I told you to imitate a pig for me right now, you know that you would have no choice but to do it, right?” Teddy asked her with such ferocity that Dominique stopped momentarily in her tracks, her breath catching in the pit of her throat. He turned to regard her with a nasty smile before pushing his sunglasses up until they were nestled at the top of his head, the blonde locks making him seem far friendlier than he actually was, “it'd be better for the both of us if you remembered who was in charge, I'd hate to let that dirty little secret slip out.”

 

 _Bastard_ , Dominique thought viciously. “F-fine,”

 

Teddy's smile faded somewhat but it didn't stop him from reaching out to tug roughly on a lock of her hair, his fingers twirling around the strands like a vice. Dominique stiffened instantly and tried not to let the fear bubbling in her system bring her to frustrated tears, “I can't help but wonder what awful name you just called me in your head, I guess you'll just have to keep me guessing, hm?” she smacked his hand away with all the force she could muster. He burst out laughing and turned away from her with a little shake of his head, “you'd probably giggle if I were that Rookwood brat.”

 

“Don't talk about Logan,” Dominique snapped angrily as she followed him into the kitchen, knowing that her flushed face would be more than obvious. Although it was more than likely that she would never see the handsome Logan Rookwood again, she didn't like the way Teddy talked about him, there was no reason for him to have so much disdain for someone that was willing to work for the life they wanted. Perhaps that was the reason...Teddy had tossed aside his own chances by being irresponsible and obviously didn't like facing his mistakes, “...jealousy doesn't s-suit you.”

 

Even though the words had been whispered almost too low for anyone to overhear, Teddy shot her a dark, furious glare that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. There was a severe warning in his cold brown eyes but she held his stare until he looked away, a curious frown forming between his brows that only worried her all the more. It was impossible to determine the trouble that she had just gotten herself into and Dominique recalled that he hadn't been particularly pleased with her before she'd left Uncle George's yesterday...she'd had the audacity to call him a monster and the truth had apparently stung.

 

Dominique's heart began to pound in an anxious beat as she followed Teddy, his long strides lacking their usual strut and swagger. The sight was oddly disconcerting but she wasn't able to block out the feeling that he was unbalanced somehow and she was certain that it wouldn't bode well, “I would watch that smart mouth if I were you, Dom.” Teddy replied coolly and she felt her face pale slightly as he turned to stare at her once more, his brows knitted together as if he found her a curious oddity that he couldn't quite understand. “And when it comes to that Rookwood prat, you should just forget about him, it's not as if you're ever going to see him again anyway. Self-inflicted pain is one of the things I can't stand about you already,”

 

The words were like the sharpest edge of a knife and Dominique's chest tightened until she thought that her heart had been crushed. Why did he have to be so cruel? It had already occurred to her that she would never lay eyes on Logan Rookwood again but he had simply tossed aside any silly infatuation she had felt for him into a pit of vipers...and he had done it on purpose.

 

“Why do you a-always have to say things like th-that?” she asked him thickly, her cheeks flushing despite her refusal to burst into tears. How was it that every insult from him hurt more than they from anyone else? “...one of the t-things that I hate about you is that you like to p-point out everyone else's flaws instead of t-taking care of your own.”

 

“True but at least I accept them.” Teddy stunned her by saying, though his voice lacked the usual amount of arrogance that she had become accustomed to. Dominique's blue eyes narrowed on him viciously and she intended to push him aside when he startled her further by reaching out and patting her gently on the head, his mouth breaking out in a smile that was so dazzling that she was instantly transfixed. “You are far more interesting than I've ever given you credit for, Dominique. I don't think anyone's been so willing to call me on my bullshit in a long time, its refreshing.” He said lightly, enjoying her traumatized expression.

 

Dominique's entire body had gone stiff but she couldn't look away from him, her breath lodging in her throat. Teddy only seemed to find it amusing to have caught her by surprise and she suddenly became aware of how close they were standing, mortified by the blush that swept across her cheeks.“W-why do you have to look so h-happy about it?” Dominique asked sharply.

 

That only earned a bitter smile from him as his fingertips massaged the top of her head the way an affectionate owner would their lovable dog. “I don't like being made fun of, so stop it.” Dominique bit out irritably.

 

Teddy seemed to have drifted into his own mind and peered down at her in confusion, as if he had nearly forgotten that she was there. Although Dominique wasn't certain what could be wrong with him, she sensed that it was far more complicated than she could have thought and worried if he would drag her into the middle of it.

 

“Dom, this is going to rock your world but I'm not making fun of you.” Teddy said with a slight frown while running his fingers through the locks of her hair as if he were touching the finest silk, the action causing her to blush even deeper. “There's just something about the way you look at me...”

 

Dominique stared up at him in rising alarm and felt the color drain out of her face at the way he looked at her, as if he were both disturbed and reluctantly fascinated. Almost at the same time, she recalled what Fred had told her and felt a shiver work down her back, _“...you have a way of really looking at people and seeing them for what they are, someone like Teddy would immediately be freaked out.”_

 

It was difficult to understand the fear that went through her but the last person on earth that she wanted to notice was Teddy Lupin and she found herself shifting away from him. “...W-what's wrong with you today? You're not acting like y-yourself.” Dominique murmured.

 

“That would take all day to explain, Dom but while I'm here, there's something that we need to talk about and I don't want to hear any of your sassy comebacks.” Teddy replied after a brief hesitation, as if he had somehow been more unnerved by the moment than she had been.

 

Dominique eyed him warily and watched as he reached up to run his fingers through his blonde locks and to her astonishment, she saw that his cheeks were actually pink and that was far more unsettling than anything else that had just passed between them. “I'm going to come back for you tomorrow night so I still need you to come up with a decent lie to tell your parents.” Teddy eventually said.

 

“W-what?” Dominique croaked.

 

Teddy hesitated for a moment before explaining almost desperately. “I need to take care of something and its going to take a while to set straight.” He scanned her face closely before reaching out to touch her arm gently, though she shook him off forcefully. “Please, you have to help me do this. I don't know what to do anymore.”

 

The bleakness in his voice took her by surprise and Dominique frowned, a growing sense of trepidation going through her system. For just a moment, she became even more aware of just how trapped she had become in her sister's lies...there didn't seem to be a way to escape.

 

It was one thing to protect her sister but after Victoire had cruelly revealed her true colors and broken whatever love for her that she'd still been clinging to. “Teddy, th-this isn't something that we can talk about h-here but I can't do th-this anymore.” She replied thickly. “I shouldn't care about what happens to my sister but...”

 

Teddy's mouth thinned slightly and his eyes darted around quickly before he seized her by the upper arm and drew her back into the living room. The voices of her family sounded a millions miles away and Dominique struggled against his hold, “I don't have time for this shit right now, all right?” he snapped viciously, his voice a harsh whisper that could have caused whatever boldness in her to die away in seconds.

 

Dominique stared at him mulishly.

 

Teddy sighed wearily. “I didn't come here to talk to you about this today but things are...bad. I need you to help me and no matter how committed you are to Victoire, she doesn't give a shit about you.”

 

“Don't say something like th-that—”

 

“It's true isn't it?” Teddy countered coldly, his brown eyes digging into her face.

 

Dominique opened her mouth to deny it but she knew that there were no words that she could use that might defend what Victoire had done to her...how badly she had hurt her just to keep her own perfect world. It had been beyond cold hearted and a well of hatred threatened to destroy her.

 

Teddy studied her closely. “It's really admirable what you're willing to do for your sister but we both know that that bitch doesn't deserve it.” He shocked her by saying, his lips pulled back in a scowl, “I've been thinking it over and I might just cut you loose,”

 

Dominique's heart lifted and she was so briefly thrilled at the prospect that she couldn't quite gather a proper breath without feeling light headed. But slowly, her mind began to piece together his words and she eyed him suspiciously. Why had he suddenly changed his mind?

 

He had been more than pleased to have her at his mercy yesterday.

 

Dominique bit down on her panic. “You hate my sister and you d-didn't mind treating me like a dog y-yesterday! What's h-happened to you?” she demanded, knowing that there had to be some ulterior motive for his actions. “I know th-that you don't care about me but...but lying to me now is low—even for someone like you.” She cried furiously.

 

“Keep your voice down if you don't want your parents to overhear this.” Teddy warned her gravely and she shivered at the thunderous look in his eyes. There was a hopelessness there as well that made some part of her want to offer comfort but she destroyed the notion immediately, it didn't matter that he was acting differently today, he was still the same person that had treated her as nothing more than a pawn for his own selfish games.

 

Victoire had also used her but Dominique refused to break down at the fresh wound.

 

“After you left Uncle George's, he and Aunt Angie had a long ass conversation with me and I'll just say that it wasn't pretty. In fact, it was so bad that I almost made them cry—” Teddy broke off quickly, his voice thick with remorse.

 

The thought of her cheerful relatives being broken down to the point of tears was the same as the sun losing all of its shine and Dominique stared up at him disgust. It was so infuriating to think of all the people that he unconsciously hurt with his actions...that he so carelessly mistreated in order to go through his life.

 

“Well, I can't blame th-them for nearly crying over the m-mess you got yourself into.” She snapped, “you sh-should be ashamed of y-yourself Teddy for putting th-them through that,” her voice lacked even the smallest amount of empathy and she would have flinched if she weren't so angry.

 

Teddy's skin paled and he glared down at her as if he wanted nothing more than to wring the life from her but Dominique refused to look away. They stared at one another unflinchingly before he finally spoke again, his voice was rougher than sandpaper, “Don't you think I know that? They're like my parents and I can't stand knowing that they're disappointed in me.” He looked away abruptly and exhaled harshly.

 

“What is it?” Dominique asked.

 

Teddy gnawed on his lower lip for a short moment. “I went to see my Gran last night too, after they let me leave and she found out about something that I did and was so...” he hesitated for a moment, his eyes swimming with memories. “My Gran's cut me off.”

 

“...What did you do?” Dominique asked him, disturbed by the look on his face.

 

Dominique was horrified by the amount of emptiness she saw in the depths of his eyes...as if he had fled to some terrible place that would soon swallow him entirely. “Two months ago, I owed a few people a lot of money for some shit that I was on and I couldn't get it all in time so I stole one of his things and pawned it.” The amount of shame in the words were enough to have her head swimming. “I need your help—”

 

“What did you pawn?” Dominique interrupted him in a low whisper.

 

Teddy hesitated for a moment, suddenly unable to meet her eyes as his shoulders slumped with an overwhelming amount of shame and revulsion. “My father's pocket watch.” The floor beneath her feet threatened to wobble and she inhaled sharply as he continued, “I found out who bought it last week and they're going to be at a party in Knockturn Alley tomorrow night and I need your help in getting it back...” he swallowed stiffly before finally meeting her eyes again.

 

“If you do this for me, I'll forget about our bargain.” Dominique stared at him in mounting disbelief and turned away from him sharply, the web of lies dragging and pulling her under. “You have to help me fix things, I can't do it without you.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for stopping by and reading this story, it means a lot! Please let me know what you think, I'm always really curious to know how people feel about this version of Teddy Lupin and Dominque Weasley.


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